Fire and Ice
by CrazyRabidPony
Summary: Three centuries after Nightmare Moon's banishment, the tyrannical king from the dragon lands of Draconia arrives with his abused general to form an alliance with Equestria. During their stay, Princess Celestia connects with the young general, teaching him about friendship and everything that had been withheld from him during his life of deprivation.
1. The Draconians

**Fire and Ice**

Story By: CrazyRabidPony

Written By: CrazyRabidPony

Mr. Ben

"**Love can melt the hardest heart, heal the wounds of the broken heart, and quiet the fears of the anxious heart."**

**- Joyce Meyer**

_Chapter One: The Draconians_

The royal castle of Canterlot stood tall and proud against the backdrop of the steadily darkening sky. It was late afternoon to early evening, with the moon just beginning to creep over the horizon while the sun sank descended, but not so that the residents would start heading into their homes for the night. Then again, the Equestrian princess had no foreknowledge that her expected guests had arrived. Sitting on the balcony that lead into her personal chambers, she oversaw the rising moon - her sister's moon, that had currently served as her prison for a little over three hundred years.

Though, the imprisonment happened three centuries ago, every time Princess Celestia saw the moon, adorned with the dark spots and craters that made up the dark Mare in the Moon, she shed a tear and her heart went out to her lost sibling, Princess Luna… consumed by her rage and envy as the evil Nightmare Moon.

'_One day, Sister… one day,'_ she mentally whispered to herself. _'One day, you shall be free, and we will rule Equestria together, like we used to… As it should be…'_

Even now, she had her plans in motion to free her sister. However, they would not come into fruition for some time. Until that day, she would bide her time.

"Your Majesty?" one of her loyal royal guards spoke up, stepping out onto the balcony.

"Yes?" she responded in a businesslike tone, her prismatic mane flowing over one of her eyes.

"We've just received word the representatives of Draconia have been spotted arriving in Canterlot."

"Dispatch a regiment to meet them halfway and escort them here," she commanded without any hesitation, not even turning around. "I shall meet them in the throne room."

"At once, Your Highness!" He saluted and turned around to walk away, hoof beats echoing in the room as he left.

Once the sound had dispersed, the princess rose to her hooves, taking one last look at the large silver celestial body as it slowly inched its way heavenward.

'_I miss you so much, Sister. You have no idea how badly I want you by my side again.'_

A tear formed at the edge of her eye, but it was blinked away. Turning away from the moon, she strode back into her quarters to meet her guests.

It was time to put the queenly mask back on.

XXX

Two draconic beings lumbered down the main cobblestone path en route to the castle, threatening to create cracks in the road with each step from the sheer bulk and weight of their full body armor. Many of the citizens in the vicinity displayed a sheer amount of terror. Some fled into their homes and barricaded the doors, others remained at a safe distance and observed with frightened eyes, and there were even those who ran amok in blind fear.

The dragons were quadrupeds, and unlike the giants one might think of when they hear the name of the species. The larger one of the two's scales were touched with an olive green with a light green lower jaw, throat and underbelly - from what wasn't covered in his diamond encrusted steel armor plated with platinum along the top and sides of the helmet and body armor - , small spikes jutting from his jaw line, two long and smooth horns black tipped horns spearing from the back of his skull, and cruel smoke grey eyes.

The smaller counterpart possessed a light red hide with a rather pinkish belly. His earthy brown horns growing from his head were short in comparison. His own eyes were dyed a fiery yellow-orange and his armor was dotted with rubies instead of diamonds.

The pair were expected by the solar monarch, for a meeting had been arranged a few weeks prior. The large Draconian cast a dark glare at anyone who dared to meet his eyes. To him, the equine race were inferior. The vibes that radiated from his very form inspired fear - unease at the very least in the guard sentries.

Not much was known about the Draconians, even their king's name was a mystery. For as long as the Equestrian rulers, historians, and scholars, the boarders have always been closed from the rest of the world. All that was known was that Draconia was a country consisting of a breed of dragons located in the deep south in the tropic regions. But this was how the king wanted it. Throughout history, he refused to allow information regarding his culture, their nature, and how his soldiers were raised and trained.

As the dragon monarch paraded down the city's streets with the very mask of malignancy - soon to be met with guards who insisted on escorting them the rest of the way - , the smaller reptile had become so absorbed with taking stock in their surroundings. His eyes were wide with an almost childlike wonder twinkling within them. Even as he and his king were brought into the throne room, he drank in the beautiful interior, thoroughly impressed.

The princess of the sun was present on her throne when the two Draconians entered into the room, sitting grand and regal among the ornate and lavish furnishings. Tapestries and stained glass windows showed the history of the Equestrian forces - the imprisonment of Tirek, the chaos that was Discord and his petrifaction, the fall of King Sombra, the corruption of Princess Luna and her subsequent banishment, and their recent conflicts with the griffons. Marble busts of Star Swirl the Bearded, Princess Luna, and other notable figures for their contributions to society were between the windows.

Princess Celestia gazed dispassionately down at the Draconians. Her long mane cascaded down her head and back, her tail draped over the last stair heading up to her throne. Her hair covered half of her face, with only her left eye exposed. Half shut, her single pupil scoured over her two guests.

The alicorn paid no attention to the smaller dragon any further, her only focus being on the larger - and admittedly rather intimidating - king before her. She did not express her inner concern, her face a cold, expressionless mask.

"Greetings, honored guests," she welcomed, her tone suggesting no real feeling to discern. Despite her soft intonation, her voice projected quite soundly across the entire room. "To what do I owe this esteemed pleasure?"

The dark green dragon took in a breath before speaking, his voice calm, yet icy and husky.

"I am King Talonblaze of Draconia," he declared, puffing out his chest with pride. Shifting his attention to the younger beast at his side - who now had his eyes on the princess - , he lifted a clawed hand to gesture at him. "And this is my prized warrior, General Rhem. Perhaps the best I ever had."

The guards present were in a state of bewilderment as the general was introduced. From what little they could see, he appeared far too young to be a high ranking soldier, let alone a general. Also, the best the king ever had? They were quite skeptical of this.

While King Talonblaze held his claims in high regard, the general knew this was a blatant lie. He may have been excessively skilled for his age, but he had been bested many times throughout his life.

Turning to the red-scaled beast, the princess let her surprise light up her features - but only for a second as she quickly reverted back to her standard poker face. This male was a _general_? That simply couldn't be possible. He was young. Too young. Even among her forces, her youngest general was a healthy forty-six years old.

"Well met, King Talonblaze." A pause. "General Rhem." Turning back to King Talonblaze, she met his gaze. "For what purpose have you sought an audience with me? When your messenger requested a meeting, he did not specify."

The Draconian king nodded with a grunt.

"I have traveled all the way from my country to form an alliance."

His voice was composed, utilizing his self-control to prevent it from sounding malicious.

The general gazed upon the princess, completely awestruck at her presence - especially her billowing mane and tail. It waved as if caressed by the wind, but there was no breeze. His curious mind couldn't help but wonder how it did so.

"An alliance…?" Princess Celestia repeated, raising her visible eyebrow, a hint of suspicion and intrigue. She knew very little about dragons, Draconians in particular, but dragonkind were not especially friendly towards ponies. At best, they tended to be fairly neutral parties to one another. To change this was something that took her slightly by surprise.

"Yes. Perhaps an alliance between our nations can be beneficial. We can start up a trading system. My country just might have something you would be interested in," he stated. "We have much to offer."

"Indeed?" the princess ventured, sounding flat as ever. "And what exactly do you wish to offer us, King Talonblaze? What could we offer you in return?"

"Why don't we discuss it over a meal?" he suggested. He and his general had traveled for many hours without stopping for food - they briefly stopped for water and a little rest though. They were exhausted and in need of nourishment to refuel their bodies.

Rhem smacked his lips a couple of times and suckled on his tongue before attempting to swallow, ending up with getting nothing down his parched throat.

The equine allowed herself a small smile and nodded once.

"Of course. I apologize. To have traveled all this way and for me to not offer refreshments…" Standing, she moved down the steps and cantered between and past the dragons. Now that a size comparison could be made, it could be seen that the top of King Talonblaze's head reached the tip of her horn while Rhem was able to look her straight in the eye. "If you'll follow me."

She came to a stop, turning to one of the guards.

"Send word to the kitchen to have a full course banquet and refreshments waiting for us."

They dark grey unicorn saluted and immediately disappeared down one of the hallways.

"Lead the way," King Talonblaze urged, sounding impatient.

Princess Celestia was silent and remained so as she began to walk, her wings flaring out for a second to stretch them and flap them once before folding back against her sides. She lead the way down the hall, past tapestries of red and blue embroidered with ropes of golden and silver silk respectively, and also, respectively, emblazoned with the cutie marks of the two royal sisters.

The marble floor was polished to a brilliant sheen, giving a light reflection of Princess Celestia and the two dragons on its surface. Marble columns held up the large and vast ceiling far above ahead, where elaborate paintings of the two sisters' climatic clashes with their enemies were depicted. Ignoring the artwork, and declining on giving her guests the grand tour and history for now, she escorted them into the dining hall. The room was massive, with several long tables, complete with a fountain at one of the far ends of the hall and with the second lined with massive windows that held a grand view of the countryside down Mount Perennial.

Stepping in from the corridor, Princess Celestia made her way to the table that was closest to the kitchen, taking the first seat and offering King Talonblaze and Rhem to take their own.

The young dragon became very fascinated by the art and décor, especially the paintings. As soon as they arrived, he halted at the entrance and sat down upon his haunches. King Talonblaze paid him no heed to his general, though, and seated himself at the table.

The princess, located at the head of the table, glanced over at the king on her left, then to her right at the empty chair where she expected to find Rhem. Bemused, but still expressionless, she cast her eyes to the entrance.

"General Rhem, are you not hungry?" she queried, arching a brow.

"He's just used to not being permitted to dine with royalty," the Draconian king explained in a huff, not bothering to look back at his general. In fact, he didn't even look at Princess Celestia. He merely sat there examining his sharp curved talons.

The younger Draconian just gazed back with wide eyes that conveyed that he was very hungry, that and his large ear frills flaring out on both sides of his head made him appear less intimidating.

"I see. Well, I don't usually allow just anypony this rare opportunity."

She offered the general an encouraging nod.

King Talonblaze arched a scaly brow as he finally permitted his eyes to swivel to Princess Celestia.

"You are… going to allow him to dine here… with us?"

The dragon tried to hide it, but there was some belying disgust in his tonality.

Rhem's fiery orange orbs lit up and he slowly rose off of his rear. He lifted a foot to take a step, but it hung in the air in hesitation.

"I'll allow it," she said. "You two have been through an arduous journey as it is."

It did not entirely surprise her that Rhem wasn't allowed to eat with royalty. The guards ate in their own barracks, and most heads of state didn't dine with their troops.

"I could send him to the barracks and have him eat there," she began, glancing over her shoulder and meeting Rhem's eyes. It was obvious the poor boy was starving, and she wasn't about to make him walk all the way to the barracks on the other side of the castle. "But you are both my guests tonight. I insist."

King Talonblaze didn't say anything, but leered at Rhem as he took deliberate and cautious steps into the dining hall. The red reptile kept his eyes on Princess Celestia, searching for any indication that she would change her mind.

The royal pony matched Rhem's gaze with her own, her face the cold, expressionless mask it had been.

However, for one moment, just one, brief moment… the princess had given him a disarming, but warm, smile. It wasn't much - a tug on the edges of her lips, but enough to where it showed she cared.

She had done it a number of times… mainly, to new recruits of her guard. There had been rumors amongst her soldiers that she did not tolerate failure or disobedience of any sort - and that one hoof out of line and they'd be sent straight to keep Nightmare Moon company. It was hogwash, of course, but there were still the occasional new sign-up that practically quaked in his armor when the guards lined up before her for inspection.

She found that the smile was usually enough to communicate she wasn't a tyrant at all, and was proud of her little ponies standing forth to serve and protect her.

It was either that or they got the impression she was drinking in their fear. She hoped it wasn't the latter.

The young Draconian felt a wave of unease at that smile, unsure of how to react to it - or what it even meant - and he ended up taking a couple of diagonal steps away from her. Though, one hard glare from his king told him to comply. After all, he didn't want to appear afraid or weak.

His feet came down to the floor more frequently, but there was still belying caution. Just as he sat himself down on the equine's other side, across from King Talonblaze, the dragon monarch's chair gave away, legs snapping underneath the weight of his hulking form and his thick armor.

Princess Celestia was immediately on her hooves and right at the dragon's side. Her stoic visage had dropped, expression morphing into one of shock and concern.

"My goodness! King Talonblaze, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

With an enraged snarl, he pulled himself up and swiped angrily at the seat, sending it flying at the closest wall where it smashed into pieces. He then picked up one of the legs and curled it across the room, a guard ducking in order to avoid getting hit in the face with it. Before he went for the remains, the dragon checked himself, taking a deep breath to becalm himself.

Princess Celestia gasped, jumping back to avoid getting hit, just in case. Though, as he calmed down, the judgmental look she presented him with stated that she did not approve of this violent outburst. She wasn't going to say anything about it, but she was noticeably shaken. The mare recovered quickly, trying not to show she'd been fazed.

"Guard," the mare addressed one of the snow-pelted pegasus stallions in a low, tranquil note and forced a smile. "Bring out our largest pillow. It's become apparent to me I didn't properly prepare to accommodate our guests."

King Talonblaze cast a fiery glare at Princess Celestia for not providing sturdy enough seating for him beforehand. With a growl rumbling in his throat, he reached up to remove his helmet and set it aside upon the table. His stormy grey eyes were now fully extinguishable, as was the large jagged scar that began from his left eyebrow, ran over his eye and stopped midway down his cheek.

The general across from the Draconian king followed his example, removing his helmet. His own eyes weren't very menacing. In fact, they appeared far more curious in contrast to his ruler's. He also wasn't the only one with an unmarked face. He, too, possessed scars - multiple ones in different areas and notches in his ear frills.

The alicorn did not look at all intimidated. At least, her face did not show. She had faced down monsters that had threatened her subjects. She had confronted and banished King Sombra. She had faced and imprisoned Discord.

… Though, she recalled all those times, Princess Luna had been with her.

This time, she was all alone.

The princess briefly considered cracking a joke to relieve the tension to King Talonblaze about perhaps losing a few pounds, but she got the overwhelming impression that he was more than a little humorless. In addition, she knew that would have been in extremely poor taste. She had already failed to accommodate for him and his general - she did not need to compound the issue by _insulting_ him, too.

Keeping her mouth shut, she continued to just politely smile with a non-verbal apology as the guard brought in a massive pillow that would easily provide comfort to the dragon king.

It took all of the guard's self-control to keep himself from shaking in his armor as he neared the Draconian. As the reptilian turned his head to lock eyes with him, growling softly, he stopped in his tracks.

"Well? Are you going to set it down or just stand there?" the dragon gruffed rather rudely.

The stallion snapped out of his abeyance and placed the pillow down on the floor where the now destroyed chair used to be, quickly returning to his post after doing so. Princess Celestia suppressed giving a snort - as she did not appreciate this… barbarian being rude to her ponies, though, again, said nothing.

Perhaps she was being to hard on him. He was tired and hungry, and heavens knew anyone could be short without rest and food. Almost as if on cue, the servants emerged from the kitchen with goblets of water, juice, and wine on top of cooks coming out with dishes of various greens, fruits, and grain based meals.

King Talonblaze rested his rump upon the fluffy pillow and sat up straight in a dignified and haughty pose. Both dragons directed their attention to the waiters, their keen senses of smell detecting food and aggravated their empty bellies. As the older Draconian scanned the array of dishes, a dissatisfied scowl overtook his features.

"No meat?" he started as his vision returned to Princess Celestia. "Dragons are carnivores. Did you not know that?"

Rhem, however, didn't care if there was meat or not. Lowering his head to the plate of salad served to him by a nervous waiter, he sniffed experimentally before opening his jaws and biting down. That one bite managed to take in every single leaf off the plate. Even though there was carefully assorted silverware on both sides, he had never seen eating utensils before and, therefore, didn't know what they were used for.

The Equestrian princess tried not to let any emotion show and she mentally kicked herself for overlooking something so huge.

"I sincerely apologize, King Talonblaze," she said, genuinely sorry - and bowed her head to him. "However, we Equestrians are not. We can't consume meat - our bodies are not built for it."

A raging beast churned within the Draconian king., but he didn't display it. He didn't want to compromise any chances of forming the alliance.

"Our bodies were designed to consume meat," he countered, glowering at Rhem and causing him to immediately stop taking in more food, the young dragon's cheeks puffing out from the amount he had in his mouth.

This, she decided, would be a minor problem.

"Again, I apologize." The image of Rhem willingly accepting the proffered food did not escape her notice. "It it is meat that you're searching for, I could direct you to the Everfree Forest. There is many species of wild game available for you there. Though, it is late, and I'm sure you're tired. You're more than welcome to partake in what I've prepared for you, just for tonight."

The elder dragon stared at the food laid out before him in disdain. As Rhem went back to eating, he sniffed at a few of the dishes, looking very unhappy. Sighing, he opened his mouth to take a tiny bite of salad. As he chewed, his face clearly showed he wasn't enjoying it. He even gagged a couple of times.

Princess Celestia watched King Talonblaze's expression as she herself took a few small bites of her own meal. While part of her was slightly irked that he clearly did not enjoy what had been offered, she had to admit that he was, at least, being as gracious as he could and choking it down.

The king only took one more bite before pushing the plate of greens away and set his sight on something else. Curling his clawed hand around a bowl of oatmeal, he drew it closer. He scooped up a small amount and the instant the gooey substance touched his taste buds, he gagged and heaved as if he was about to vomit. Unable to even swallow, he spat what was in his mouth right back into the bowl and downed his goblet of water to be rid of the taste.

_This_ brought a somewhat disapproving frown from the Equestrian monarch. She inwardly sighed, closing her eyes, and deliberately took a long drink of her wine. It was clear that she was a bit affronted at this reaction of disgust, but she was not going to isolate it or call him out on it.

King Talonblaze did not care how Princess Celestia felt about it. He absolutely _hated_ it.

"What… is this gruel called and what have I done to receive such a bland and disgusting dish?"

The mare lowered her goblet.

"That bland and disgusting dish that you tasted there, King Talonblaze, is, appropriately enough, just known as plain gruel. I have heard others refer to it as oatmeal. You have done nothing - except be recipient to my offer of a meal. Yet you act as if I am punishing you for something."

"A meal for _herbivores_…" he growled, then moved onto a plate of fruit.

Curious, the general licked up a glob of his own bowl of oatmeal and his face scrunched up from the taste. Unlike his king, he actually swallowed, but his gestures made it distinguishable that he was having trouble doing so. Sighing once it finally slid down his gullet, he messily lapped up his water like a common animal.

"Hmmm. Again, King Talonblaze, I do apologize if the meal I have provided are not to your tastes. If you do not wish to partake of my offering, you are free not to. I just thought Your Highness would have been more appreciative of my humble efforts to be a providing host."

"A _good_ host would have provided the appropriate type of food for their guest," he said, taking a bite out of a mango slice and practically hissed at the flavor.

"Really?" she deadpanned. "Because from what I recall, it is merely the host's job to provide food. In most societies, it's generally considered rude - insulting even - to refuse an offered meal."

The dragon sent the alicorn a sharp leer, holding back the urge to growl. If he was going to get anywhere and form this alliance with the Equestrians, he might as well try to eat something. Huffing, he pulled a plate of pancakes closer, finding these at least edible to him.


	2. Wrath

_Chapter Two: Wrath_

Princess Celestia recognized the anger in King Talonblaze's eyes, and actively fought to resist the attempt to _smile_ at him.

She also made a mental note that, should he ever been so gracious as to extend an invitation into Draconia to conduct business - unlikely as that ever would be - she would have to politely decline. The mare didn't stomach the thought of being forced to eat meat.

The alicorn would also make sure to learn from this, remember to take his advice and have a more reasonably wider selection of cuisine if she were to ever make alliances with more carnivorous races again. The griffon delegates, she surmised, would at least be more receptive to them.

Rhem was at work devouring food left and right as if it were his last meal, creating messes on the fine tablecloth. The general licked his chops and released a loud belch that knocked over his goblet of wine, splashing the deep red substance to complete his mess.

"Goodness!" The princess' eyes slightly widened and she allowed herself to drop her mask for the moment, scanning the stains and bits of food the young dragon was currently licking up. While part of her was a little surprised, she did let herself to smile. "… Hmmm."

She was glad at least _somebody_ appreciated the meal.

The olive green Draconian wrinkled the bridge of his snout in revulsion.

"Hmph. This is one reason why I don't dine with non-royalty."

Rhem glanced off in mild embarrassment, running his snakelike tongue over his lips again.

"It is all right, King Talonblaze." Princess Celestia allowed a slightly larger smile. "It is just a tablecloth - it can be cleaned… or replaced. Such a matter is trivial."

Plus, she realized, it _was_ kind of refreshing to see such a display. It had reminded her of Princess Luna, during simpler, more carefree times.

"Such behavior is NOT all right," he huffed, pinning the general with a sneer.

He did have a point, as much as she was reluctant to admit it.

"Hmm. I will concede to that. Though, I am willing to overlook this… one instance."

She gave Rhem an expression - though her slight grin suggested she didn't hold it against him.

The dragon reacted by leaning back a small degree, arching his scaly brow at the pony. Still, he wasn't sure what to make of those smiles of hers. He just wasn't used to those kinds of smiles.

"Still… _do_ try and keep it to a minimum in the future," she admonished, attempting not to come across as intimidating. Sighing, she turned to King Talonblaze. "It is quite late in the evening. Do you perhaps wish to discuss matters tonight, or start first thing in the morning?"

"The morning."

King Talonblaze tore his glare off of Rhem and surveyed what was left of the food, supremely unsatisfied. He intended on taking himself and his general out to hunt in the forests soon.

Princess Celestia nodded, finishing up her meal.

"Very well then. In that case, shall I show you both to your guest rooms?"

The still hungry beast nodded, rising up from his sitting position and setting his helmet back to its primary place on his head. Rhem - still only slightly hungry - took the cue and got up himself, waiting for the two royals to head out first before slipping his own helmet back on and following them.

As Princess Celestia did so, she was tempted to apologize again, but figured she had already done that enough already. She turned a corner to lead them down the polished marble hallways, a thick red carpet laid in the middle and the walls adorned with several banners, tapestries, and paintings.

Once they reached the guest wing, she paused in front of the line of doors.

"King Talonblaze, General, you will be staying here in this wing. You may use any of these rooms in this hall for your perusal."

Without another word to the alicorn, King Talonblaze strode past her and entered one of the luxury suites, slamming the door behind him with his tail. Rhem, however, was disinclined to pass her - or more accurately, going near her - and remained rooted in a defensive crouch.

Princess Celestia watched him enter the room, before heaving a heavy sigh. Turning, she was lightly bemused to see the red-scaled reptilian still standing there.

"…? … Is something wrong, General?" she asked.

The dragon gave the mare an intense stare, his fiery eyes flashing. Yellow-orange pools still on her, he lowered his head further as if to protect his armored throat, flexing his claws.

She gazed into his eyes, looking still somewhat confused - until understanding overcame her features.

"You may relax, General. I am not going to harm you."

The look in his sun-like orbs clearly stated that he didn't trust her at all. Readying his muscles to spring away at any sudden movements, he stalked past her, his eyes not leaving her once.

Princess Celestia merely arched her eyebrow, attempting to appear as completely non-threatening as possible - but still standing her ground in a way to make it clear he shouldn't try anything, either.

Truth of the matter was she, too, didn't trust him.

Once he was past her, he swiftly spun his body around so that he was facing her. He was not willing to have his back turned to her. He directed himself into one of the open chambers and backed in, also slamming the door.

She just continued to watch him, until he had disappeared inside one of her guest quarters as well. The instant the door was closed, she let out another sigh, before turning around and cantering off.

A few hours rolled into the night before the farmlands bordering Canterlot were filled with horrified screams that gained the attention of patrolling royal guards. They made haste to the palace, not bothering to stop and explain to any more fellow soldiers and precipitated to the chambered door of the solar princess' private quarters, throwing it open.

"Your Highness! There is an uproar in the farmlands! We believe there has been an attack! We eagerly await your orders!" came the panicked voice of one of the pegasi.

Princess Celestia was laying down on her stomach, her accessories removed and set off to the side. She was looking over a document that had been submitted to her when the guards burst into her room. Snapping her head up, about to reprimand the trio of stallions for disturbing her without knocking, but gave pause upon receiving the news. Breathing a gasp, she instantly rose to her hooves.

"Scramble the pegasus guards to secure the perimeter. I shall investigate this personally."

Saluting, the stallions galloped off to do just that.

A herd of cattle, petrified at a distance, stared in terror at what their eyes beheld. On the ground, was the mutilated corpse of their largest and fattest calf with King Talonblaze voraciously eating out of the slashed gut.

Nearby, the young general stood over the trembling form of a fallen calf, his clawed hand raised, about to strike a killing blow to the skull.

Both dragons were now without their armor, their full muscular bodies completely visible - Rhem's sporting multiple scars over his own while the monarch only had a few on his neck, shoulder, and across his chest.

The princess had taken to the sky from her castle, her wings spread majestically as she scanned the expanse of the farmlands below in the bright moonlit night. Thanks to the clear, cloudless sky, and the sounds of the screams, it did not take long for her to determine the source.

As she flew lower and landed, her eyes widened in shock at the presence of the two Draconians terrorizing her populace - the elder one devouring the remains of one, the younger poised to attack. Her eyes flashing with rage, her anger consumed her as she opened her mouth to bellow out with all her fury in the traditional Royal Voice.

"**WHAT IS THE **_**MEANING**_** OF THIS?!"**

Both dragons froze and shifted their attention to the alicorn. The blood-soaked maw of King Talonblaze curled in a frown, his forked tongue snaking out to lick his upper lip.

"You call crocodiles made of stone and wolves of branches edible game?" he snarled, his brows compressing.

Princess Celestia shuddered in barely containable anger. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated to pinpricks, and her mane and tail glowing.

"**I SAID**-" she began, before stopping herself and closing her eyes, shaking her head and reducing her volume. "I said that you were permitted to hunt in the forest for your food. And you - and you - _you_!"

It was absolutely clear that the expression on her face was one of being utterly livid.

"I _GIVE_ you food, I tell you where to procure more, and yet you… you DARE to _attack_ _MY SUBJECTS, on __**MY SOIL**_**?!**"

"We found NOTHING edible! We DO NOT eat stone or branches! You expect your GUESTS to go hungry when we cannot find anything?!" King Talonblaze growled, digging his muzzle back into the calf and tearing out a chunk of muscle.

Rhem, while he did have his craving for meat, lowered his paw to the ground and stepped away from the calf. He was going to play it safe and not incur the princess' wrath upon himself.

Princess Celestia shook very hard - the look on her face telling him she did not believe him for a single instance.

She _knew_ there were animals in the woods. She could even spot the forest not very far away, just on the horizon.

No, it had seemed very clear to her that he hadn't even bothered looking - and simply saw cattle that were ripe and apparently free for the taking.

"King Talonblaze," she hissed. "I will give you _one_ chance - **ONE** - to give me a very good reason why I should not expel you from my country this very instant."

The dragon swallowed the strip of flesh in his jaws.

"How was I supposed to know that you consider cattle as your subjects? You did not tell me your citizens are not limited to just ponies!"

He… did have a point. She groaned, sighing and rubbing her temple.

"I did not inform you because I was under the obviously mistaken assumption that I would not _have_ to." She snorted, nostrils flaring. "I value ALL lives in my country, equine and non-equine alike, and ALL creatures, great and small, under my jurisdiction receive my protection.

"You have committed a great personal offense to me by assaulting my citizens. And you _continue_ to insult me by consuming his remains in my presence!"

As much as the dragon wanted to continue eating and satisfy his appetite, he ceased and backed away from the carcass.

"I was not aware of this. Still, it was your own fault you didn't inform me."

Princess Celestia's anger was only fanned by his words, though she restrained it. But only just.

"Trust me, that is not a mistake I will make in the future. I will… overlook this offense tonight since you were unaware.

"You have my sympathies that you were unable to procure a meal tonight," she pressed him. "But that failure is nothing more than the result of your own shortcoming. There **is** food for you there to eat, I **know** that for a _fact_. I would not have sent you there if I had known there wasn't.

"You will limit your hunts to the forest - _and __**ONLY**__ the forest_ - the duration of your stay. If I receive word that you attack ANY of my citizens again, be they pony, donkey, mule, cattle, sheep, or pig, you can consider our business concluded. Do I make myself clear?"

The Draconian was seething on the inside, but he retained control of his facial muscles and nodded once.

"… Yes."

Rhem couldn't believe it. All Draconian soldiers had the idea of their king being an all powerful and invincible ruler hammered into their brains and he was no exception.

And yet… here he was, witnessing King Talonblaze submitting to the regal mare.

"Good," Princess Celestia replied tersely, before dismissively turning away. Biting her lip, she trotted over to the herd. Spotting the grieving mother, she felt a horrid pang of sadness in her heart. She glanced back at the remains of the young calf, before squeezing her eyes shut. Wrapping a foreleg around the childless bovine, she forced back a sob - mentally kicking herself as King Talonblaze's words ran through her mind.

Gazing down at the poor cow, the alicorn's eyes shimmered with the utmost sorrow, and leaned in to press her head against hers.

"I'm sorry," the princess whispered. "I'm so, very sorry."

While King Talonblaze about faced and sat down, licking his paw and grooming his face, Rhem watched the princess and cow with intrigue.

The bovine clenched her eyes shut, her cheeks soaked with tears.

"M… m-my b-baby…" she moaned miserably.

"Shhhh. Shhh." Princess Celestia tried to comfort her, stroking her hoof down the cow's back as she pulled herself closer to the poor mother. "It'll-"

She stopped herself. No. No, it most certainly would not be all right.

"I'm truly sorry," she said quietly to her. "This was my fault… I cannot ask for your forgiveness, but I will personally see that your child is properly buried and that you will be compensated."

Despite her bitter feelings towards the princess, the cow nodded, lifting a leg to wipe away her tears. She at least appreciated the promise of a funeral and compensation But that did not sooth the aching hole in her heart.

"Th-th-thank… y-you…"

Princess Celestia was silent for a moment, before whispering into the cow's ear, "I'm sorry - I know there is nothing I can offer that will ever adequately compensate for the loss of a loved one… but rest assured I will not forget this transgression against you."

Hugging the cow once more, she let her go and turned to face King Talonblaze and Rhem.

Saying nothing else, she spread her wings and lifted off the ground to make her way back to the castle.

The former mother, too said nothing more, but broke into fresh tears at the sight of her son's partially eaten body.

Face now cleaned, the Draconian king snorted, pissed that he had to leave his kill alone. Snarling, he spun around to his general, his eyes flickering with wrath.

Rhem knew that look in his eyes. King Talonblaze wanted to vent out his anger… on him. He lowered himself onto his stomach to take the punishment. He released a loud yelp that shook the air as he was given the first slam into the side below his ribcage, which goaded his assailant even more. Crying out was a sign of weakness and punishable. And so, he kept his jaws shut as heavy blows rained upon his body.

Princess Celestia came to a cessation as the yelp coming from behind her reached her ears. Looking behind her, she noticed her guests were not following her - and she gasped out when she saw King Talonblaze beating his general. Immediately, she glided back to where they were.

"_Excuse me_," she hollered. "What is going on here?!"

Attention grasped and settling on the royal alicorn, the dark green dragon huffed with a glare, utilizing his self-control to prevent himself from raising his voice.

"How I punish my retainers doesn't concern you, Princess Celestia."

He then resumed the beating Rhem, who was now laying on his side, too dazed to summon the strength to pick himself up.

Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes, her horn glowing to envelop the dragon king in a temporary magical bubble to get him to halt. Not to stop him from beating his general, but rather to get his attention long enough to listen to her.

"… No. What you do to your troops is something I have no bearing on." Her eyes narrowed again. "At least, so long as I am not present. And believe me, had I caught you beating any one of _my_ guards I would have no qualms with summoning a solar flare to strike you dead where you stand. I will warn you just this one last time.

"I do not tolerate violent outbursts in my country, King Talonblaze. Whether it be to one's own men or to my own. This is the third time now _tonight_ that you have tried my patience. I am honestly, seriously thinking it was a mistake to allow you to come here to conduct any sort of business."

He was more than tempted to leap right in and tear the princess' throat out for speaking that way to him, but… they were in her country.

With a snort, he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Fine," he finally said. "He is not through with his punishment. He is to have no food until we return to Draconia."

If he couldn't punish his general by beating him, he would do it some other way.

Like **HELL** he'll go hungry!

… Was what Princess Celestia wanted to say.

Due to the events of the night, and still being rather frazzled, she did not deem it wise, or healthy for anyone in the vicinity, to further undermine the king's authority in front of his own general.

"… Very well. As you wish."

Fixating back onto the slaughtered calf, she sighed and shook her head. Seeing her guards approach her, she cantered up to Rhem to examine him.

King Talonblaze didn't even give Rhem a second glance. Having his hunger partially satiated, he unfolded his leathery wings and took off. Right now, he wanted to get away from the alicorn and fall asleep in the comfortable bed in his room.

Rhem laid on his side, half conscious. His scales held hairline cracks from the reptilian monarch's tremendous power and small amounts of blood streaked from both nostrils and the side of his mouth where a fang had pierced his gums. The beating he received had been brutal - a normal sized pony would have died under the first hit.

Groaning, he partially tilted his head in order to gaze up at the blurred patch of white that made up the princess - though, he wasn't able to recognize her in his current state.

Frowning lightly, she focused on the speak in the sky that was King Talonblaze. She wished to keep an eye on him, but at the same time, she couldn't leave the general.

Reaching to very gingerly smooth a hoof down his face, she turned her head to the nearest guard.

"Summon a medical team and get him to the infirmary at once."

She paused, directing back to the mutilated corpse again.

"And," she continued, her voice, her voice sounding completely weary and heavy. "See to it that this poor boy is readied for a proper burial."

"Of course, Your Highness…" one of the stallions said, his voice also carrying a heavy note. Bowing, he departed in a hurried trot.

A trio of armored ponies cautiously approached Rhem to look him over. One of the pegasus soldiers took his spear into his mouth and prodded the dragon curiously.

"He's definitely going to be tender in the morning," stated one, shaking his head after analyzing the Draconian.

"No, I think he's pretty tender now," remarked the third.

Princess Celestia sighed, frowning at the poor young male regarding his injuries. He was indeed pretty beaten up - and hoped that he would recover quickly. Suppressing a yawn, as she was quite tired, she decided to turn in for the night.

Leaving the scene, she made her way back to the castle, intent on getting to bed.


	3. The Agreement

_Chapter Three: The Agreement_

It tore Princess Celestia apart. It honestly and truly did. King Talonblaze's words swam through her mind the entire evening, causing her to barely get any rest. She knew that the calf's mother was free to think less of her, if she so wished, for not informing the Draconian monarch ahead of time. If she did not forgive the princess… she would understand, and she did not expect as such. The alicorn had promised the mother bovine that she would do anything and everything within her power to make sure she was duly and appropriately compensated for her loss, and she had spent the next morning making good on said promise.

Once that was out of the way, Princess Celestia turned to a more pressing duty - one she had been dreading since getting up that morning… Meeting King Talonblaze in one of her conference rooms to discuss the alliance.

Hopefully the rest would have served him well. He had all morning to hunt, and she hoped he would be far more… tolerable to deal with.

King Talonblaze's attitude remained relatively the same, only more reserved and calm - outwardly, anyway. Not bothering with an afternoon greeting when he met her in the room, he sat himself down at the table in the seat across from her. He idly wondered about his general considering he had not seen or heard of him all morning.

"Any word on my general's whereabouts?"

"Currently in the infirmary," came the curt reply. "I must say, you did quite the number on him. I haven't been in to see him just yet, but I got a report that he's stable - if asleep.

"In any case. Shall we get right down to business?"

"Asleep now? I highly doubt that. He's usually up before dawn, even with broken bones."

The Draconian nodded once, giving the mare the physical signal that he was ready.

Princess Celestia thought it best not to ask about that particular quirk. Then again, perhaps it was possible that the younger dragon had gotten up since she had received her report on his condition. She had not actually gone to check on him since she left him in the care of the medical crew last evening, and made a mental note to go do just that once she and King Talonblaze were done here.

"Well, in any case, you mentioned you had… much to offer?"

Right when the Draconian opened his mouth to respond, Rhem - having followed the scents of both monarchs - entered the room with an unusual spring in his step, his catlike pupils inflated twice their normal width.

Right behind the dragon, a doctor and nurse came running in and halted at the doorway, panting heavily from chasing after him.

"What… the hell… have you done to my general?!"

King Talonblaze stared with his mouth agape, completely baffled at his general's behavior.

His surge of energy could have had something to do with the mountain high pile of pancakes drenched in sugary maple syrup the nurse had fed him not too long ago. After all, with his lifelong protein strict diet, his body wasn't accustomed to absorbing so much sugar - or even a little sugar.

Princess Celestia opened her mouth in bewilderment as Rhem burst into the room loopier than a swizzle straw.

"Oh, dear," she mumbled, realization as to what was going on not hitting her until a moment later. It was then she pressed a hoof to her face with a groan. In her haste to go to bed the previous night, she had failed to forward a message to the medical staff of the dragon's ongoing punishment that he wasn't to be fed.

"Well…" the nurse heaved. "The causation of… his sudden burst of energy could… very well be the… pancakes and… syrup we… gave him…"

"You _fed_ him?!" the Draconian king snarled, his face contorting with rage, causing the nurse and doctor to recoil and tremble in fear.

"Y-yes, o-of course! H-he w-was h-hungry!"

The alicorn raised a hoof, placing it on the table.

"King Talonblaze, allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for this mistake. That was my fault - I did not inform the medical staff he was not to be fed, though I assure you I had every intention of doing so. I was, unfortunately, distracted last night and never got around to it. I'm afraid it must have slipped my mind."

She stole a quick glance at the doctor and nurse.

'_I have to make sure those two are properly rewarded…'_

King Talonblaze huffed with a snort as he dismissed the doctor. His eyes circled the room in search of his general. He was overcome with confusion as he was unable to spot him. Seconds later, the light red dragon emerged from under the far table with a mischievous glint in his fiery orange eyes.

"W… what do we… do about him, Your Majesty?" the nurse asked as she gestured at the jittery dragon.

Princess Celestia inwardly smiled, finding him rather… cute, in a matter of speaking - though, more silly than anything else.

"Take him outside to the courtyard and labyrinth. Maybe some fresh air will do him good."

'_Maybe a good frolic among the flowers will help get his sugar rush down,'_ she thought, having to suppress breaking out in laughter at the mental image of Rhem bouncing through the flowers.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bowing deeply to the alicorn, the nurse attempted to approach Rhem to escort him, but the large reptile leaped out of reach. As she ambled towards him again, he only jumped away a second time, his eyes challenging her to catch him. "Please, General Rhem. Hold still and let me-"

Once she reached to place a hoof on his upper arm, he sprung right over her and pranced several feet away.

The dragon king was embarrassed at his general's mannerisms. It was absolutely ridiculous, and in no way was a Draconian supposed to perform such tomfoolery!

The princess had half of her face covered by her mane and hoof, creating an odd coughing noise. Truthfully, she had actually begun laughing and attempted to cover it up so that King Talonblaze wouldn't get any more enraged than he already was.

"General Rhem?" She removed her hoof from her face and distributed a smile. "Could you please go with the kind nurse? She is not going to harm you."

"Yes, and have someone keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get anything to eat!" added the draconic monarch with a piercing glare.

Meeting the princess of the sun's warm face, Rhem considered it, but he still distanced himself from the nurse.

"Please, General," the small mare practically begged.

"Hmmm. You know, this room is a little stuffy. Why don't we _all_ head outdoors? It is a rather lovely day," she ventured upon noticing Rhem's reluctance, speaking aloud to nobody in particular.

"I would rather stay inside," the dragon king said before tossing a glare at the younger dragon. "Get out. **Now**."

Rhem didn't hesitate. Nodding wordlessly, he followed the medic out with a springy gait.

'_Well, THAT worked. Not what I would have done.'_

"Now that we have gotten that settled," the mare began, returning her attention back to King Talonblaze. "What do you have to offer?"

"We have many kinds of large fruit that go uneaten that you might be interested in," he presented, arching a brow. "We also have frequent rainfall. Would you happen to need extra water?"

She paused at this. Extra water would definitely be useful, either for irrigation or colonization efforts. There had been several explorers who expressed interest in expanding out west beyond the Palomino Desert, but lacked the necessary water supplies.

"Extra water is always appreciated… Though, you said large fruits?" she pressed, looking somewhat intrigued. "What kind? How large are we talking?"

"Larger than my head at the smallest when they are ripe," he responded. "The melon-like fruit I have seen grow over three times the size of your ponies… on average."

Three TIMES? Something like that could potentially feed entire families for a week!

"That would certainly help out a lot with some of the hunger issues we've been having in the outlying cities…"

"Hunger issues?" This was the opportunity King Talonblaze had been waiting for. "My country is battling hunger as well."

"Are you now?" the mare questioned, gaining a sympathetic expression. "I'm… sorry to hear that, King Talonblaze."

The Draconian nodded with a grunt, his stoic visage never changing.

"I mentioned the frequent rainfall. It causes flooding and we lose grazing grounds for our livestock until the water disperses.

"Perhaps you can help us out by allowing us to move livestock to some of your land."

This actually relieved Princess Celestia somewhat - she had half expected him to request that he and his dragons to feast on her citizens. The fact that he said _livestock_…

"Livestock…" she repeated. "As in… cows, and sheep?"

"Cattle, boars, sheep, goats, deer, and birds," King Talonblaze listed, drumming his curved claws on the table a few times in boredom. "Only they will be touched. I can see to it that any Draconian who tries to eat anything else will be severely punished."

'_At least the lesson I imparted on him won't be lost,'_ she mused, silent for a couple of moments as she mulled things over.

"This… could work to our mutual benefit," she said at last. "We recently returned from a war from the griffons, and part of the conflict was over this bordering territory. Their forces had been assailing what few citizens that had tried to settle in these parts - and we had to pull out because the griffons would not stop capturing our cattle and using them as food.

"If we annexed it to YOUR territory, then maybe they might think twice before trying to invade Equestria again…"

It was a bit of a risky gambit, Princess Celestia knew. While an alliance with the Draconians would mean protection from the griffons - if King Talonblaze ever turned HIS forces on HER…

King Talonblaze was not at all worried, even at the thought of griffons attacking his own troops. They would be no match for his sturdy dragon soldiers.

"Hmph! What ever attempts to attack us will be gravely sorry," he stated, a glint of bloodlust glimmering in his stone eyes.

"Which is why I felt it would be appropriate to offer this piece of land. It's quite large, plenty of room for livestock to graze… and, well, if any of the neighbors don't particularly agree, then… I have the best confidence you would be able to handle them. I'm sure a good show of your might and they would never bother you again.

"There are even quite a number of mountains. Plenty of gemstones and chances to carve out barracks, training bases… I understand dragons are mostly a subterranean species anyway?"

"My soldiers have been trained to handle a variety of terrains." The dragon's eyes flashed once again, his face contorting with fierce seriousness. "They are also trained to kill anything that doesn't belong on our territory. If any of your own wander on the land and disappear, it's not my problem."

"Duly noted," Princess Celestia deadpanned, making a mental note to be sure Draconian borders were to be heavily watched at all times.

She got the feeling she was possibly making a mistake.

"Are we in agreement then?" she queried.

The Draconian monarch nodded, internally pleased with how things were turning out.

"Any more land you feel serves no purpose to you?"

Princess Celestia shook her head.

"No, this is really the only territory that me and my little ponies have no use for."

If anything else, she surmised, they would likely be better off expanding westwards and beyond the Palomino Desert. There might be some fertile lands off in that direction that had yet to be explored - wild and untamed by ponykind.

"I suppose that settles that. It was a pleasure doing business," he stated with no hint of friendliness. As smoothly as conversing went, his bitterness towards the princess did not subside in the least. "Have someone fetch my general and have him train with some of your soldiers. Just because we're not in our land, it doesn't mean he's not going to slack off with his work."

The alicorn nodded, getting to her hooves, and making no effort to even extend a hoof to King Talonblaze. Having assumed that they once reached an agreement, he would probably be leaving. As she opened her mouth to offer him a grand tour of the castle, he got up and left the room. Closing her mouth and pursing her lips, she sighed.

This seemed to be far too easy. King Talonblaze appeared to be too readily agreeable to this… The Equestrian princess felt a cold chill course her spine. Could he have been planning on taking the land anyway in the future?

Something told her to keep an eye and ear out for him. She didn't trust the draconic king as far as she could have physically thrown him.

Meanwhile, at the hedge maze, the hyperactive dragon had hidden himself away within one of the bushy walls and out of sight of the pegusi who were looking for him. Since he was here, he might as well test their abilities in any way he could.

One of the guards gave up the search and took it upon himself to report to the princess of Rhem's disappearance in the labyrinth. Streaking into the castle and locating the alicorn in the hall, he skidded to a halt before her and slapped a hoof to his forehead in a salute.

"Your Highness! General Rhem has gone missing in the maze. A number of us have searched every inch above, but none have been able to find him."

Princess Celestia had been walking down the hall to head outside and get some air when she received the news from her guard. Blinking in bewilderment, she nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, soldier… I shall go there myself to conduct a search there, then."

It had been far too long since she had gotten lost in her own shrubberies, and had no further scheduled business planned for that day. Smiling lightly at her sentry to dismiss him, the princess made her way outside - pausing only long enough to catch a deep breath of the sweet aromas of the garden's abundance of flowers.

"Now…" she said softly to herself, her prismatic mane billowing in front of her left eye. "… If I were a half-ton dragon, where would I hide in the maze…?"

The pegusi decided to join a group of three unicorns on the ground in hopes of finding any footprints embedded in the grassy earth that might lead them to their missing dragon.

Rhem spotted one of the unicorns nearing his position. Remaining silently still, he waited for him to pass before reaching out with his head, teeth closing down on the end of his tail and giving it a tug to alert him.

Startled, the guard released a loud yelp that carried over the labyrinth. Mechanically, the soldier whirled around and whacked Rhem on the snout with the flat of the blade on his spear. Realizing what he had just done to a dragon, he froze with terror. The Draconian lunged at the pony, jaws wide open. The equine clenched his eyes shut and braced for an attack, but he only felt his weapon yanked from his grip. Opening his eyes, he met the dragon, his face scrunched up in a challenging expression, with the spear held firmly between his fangs.

Rhem then turned tail and fled deeper within the maze.

"H… HEY!"

Princess Celestia entered the maze on her own, though she knew there were guards further on ahead and was planning to rendezvous with them.

Hearing the yelp from one of them, she gasped and followed the sound, emerging from a corner on time to see the tip of a scaled red tail disappear from around another turn. Worried, she came up to the guard and lowered her head to his eye level.

"Are you all right?" she queried, more concerned for her soldiers than of the dragon.

The baffled stallion nodded, looking around the alicorn and into the direction where the winged reptile took off.

"The boy just ran off with my spear!"

As Rhem reappeared from the corner to wait, the unicorn rolled his eyes and gave chase. Disappearing around the corner again, the Draconian buried himself into the hedge wall a second time. As the guard rounded the turn, his eyes widened to see no sign of the dragon down the long hall of shrubbery.

"What the - Where the heck did he go?!"

While Princess Celestia was relieved he was unharmed, she was confused. Why would the dragon want to steal his spear? She assumed he was still probably acting a little childish, and briefly wondered if his metabolism didn't quite break down the sugars like ponies did. It didn't occur to her that his diet never allowed for him to have such energy from pancakes and syrup in the first place - simply because he had never ATE them before.

Regardless, she dismissed the idea as she followed the soldier - eyes opening wide in surprise as she saw the dragon had vanished again. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped forward and down the path, her eyes constantly shifting from left to right for anything unusual.


	4. The Chase

_Chapter Four: The Chase_

Sticking his head out of the hedge, Rhem whistled to the guard to grab his attention, pulling back the instant the unicorn saw him. The dragon burrowed his way further up the hedge from the inside, stopping just beneath the surface of the top. The guard precipitated himself to the exact spot the Draconian's head retreated and he prodded the shrubbery for him, the alicorn princess supervising him.

As the unicorn busied himself with that, Rhem popped his head out of the top and gathered himself out to stand directly on top of the hedge. Spear still in his mouth, he whistled to the stallion again before utilizing the powerful muscles in his hind legs to leap, clearing the distance between the walls and disappearing on the other side.

The guard's jaw dropped wide open while the solar monarch stared for a couple of seconds before snorting and flapping her wings to take to the air long enough to glide over the wall to pursue the dragon.

Rhem would have proved difficult to catch even with his armor on - but since he didn't have it on, he was even swifter on his feet. A pair of pegusi joined Princess Celestia, accompanying her on both sides. The dragon weaved through the twists and turns without having to slow down. The stallions had to admit they were impressed with his footwork.

Princess Celestia, too, was rather impressed with his speed. Even at a full gallop, they could barely keep up with him. She had originally thought that it was her larger size acting against her, but quickly disregarded that. Rhem was just as big as she was in terms of physical size, and he was alarmingly nimble. However, as they chased him, she smiled - they were gaining! He would have no choice but to surrender!

Glancing behind him to find the winged equines gaining ground on him, he careened, jumping at the hedge wall on his left, meeting the surface with the flats of his feet. Using the built up momentum, he spring off and sailed over the ponies as they passed and onto the other side of the right wall.

Now it was the mare's turn to drop her jaw at the display of agility, again coming to a stop. This was turning out to be a wild goose chase! He was simply too swift to chase down!

An idea suddenly spawned in her mind. Lifting a hoof, she motioned for the guards to come closer to her.

"I have an idea. Get some of the other guards, and see if we can't swing around the long way and head him off."

With resolved grins, the soldiers saluted and took flight to gather more guards.

Now this was going to be interesting, the Draconian thought, having overheard. He pushed himself back through the wall of shrub, emerging a few feet behind the alicorn. The reptilian cleared his throat to get her attention then took off back from where they came.

Princess Celestia watched as her guards flew off. Hopefully, this would work. A classic pincer maneuver…

Upon hearing the dragon, she tilted her head behind her, wings flaring out lightly in surprise. Whirling around, she broke into a gallop, her head bowed low as she charged after him as quickly as she could.

As he rounded another turn, he saw that this particular path led to a dead end, but he continued to run. As he neared the end, he slowed, mentally calculating his speed and mass, and leaped at the wall. Springing off with a back flip, he flew over Princess Celestia and landed gracefully behind her.

Princess Celestia did not even bother to slow down, her full attention on the Draconian. Her eyes pinned on him as he flipped over her, her neck craned up and back as she dashed under him…

… and caused her to run right into the dead end with a comedic thudding SPLAT. Feathers were jarred loose and span in the breeze as she peeled herself off. Stumbling with her vision swimming, she shook her head to clear it… before turning with a soft growl and a notable scowl.

This was getting ridiculous now. At first, it had been cute. NOW it was beginning to become a bit of an insult. Who did this young upstart think he was?

Analyzing and acknowledging the look on the mare's face, the general dropped the spear. He then sat down upon his haunches and lowered his head slightly with his ear frills drooping in submission, hoping that would appease her enough not to punish him too badly.

Princess Celestia had been taken a bit off guard at the voluntary capitulation. She ceased growling, eyebrows raising and glower wiping clean from her visage. The pony appeared bemused, but she was not complaining.

"Now, what was that all about, General?" she inquired, taking a step towards him.

The scaly creature remained silent for a moment before he actually opened his mouth to reply.

"I was testing the abilities of your warriors."

The mare's expression brightened, her face melting into an expression of warmth.

"Oh? Well, isn't that coincidental? That was actually the very reason we were chasing you. Your king requested to inform you to train with our guards."

Her smile widened, a soft giggle emerging.

"Although, I think it would be more accurate to say _you_ were training_ us_!"

Rhem shifted his weight uneasily on his feet at the equine's conviviality. Wasn't she supposed to be angry with him?

"… You are not going to beat me?"

The princess was rather baffled at this suggestion.

"Heavens, _no_! Why would I do such a thing? You're not even part of my army!"

"Because I deserve to be punished for my behavior," he answered as he shuffled closer and brought himself down onto his belly as if her were to about to receive an actual beating.

"I will admit I didn't appreciate getting slammed into a wall. But, you know what? I have nopony to blame but myself for that. I didn't watch where I was going.

"Though, you _were_ showing off… I suppose…"

She raised her hoof, holding it in the air for a few seconds as if to strike, then lowered it and softly tapped the dragon on the nose.

"Honk."

Princess Celestia wasn't intimidating, aggressive, or loud and therefore, he showed no fear of her as he eyed her hoof, not flinching nor shutting his eyes as it came down. But, the instant it poked his hose, his face scrunched up into the very image of bewilderment.

"Honk?"

"Consider that your _beating_."

Cracking a smirk, the mare proceeded to walk past the Draconian.

Still thoroughly confused, Rhem shook his head and rejected it. Rising up onto his feet, his attention drifted skyward to the fresh group of pegusi.

"What do we do about them?"

Following his gaze, the princess stared at the guards that were descending to meet them. Her grin morphed into a small frown, feeling a bit upset. They had gone the whole length of rounding up more soldiers, only to find they weren't needed after all. This was actually kind of embarrassing, Had this been an actual capture, she would dismiss them. But Rhem was just messing with them. He had just… been having fun.

'… _Or had he?'_ the tall mare asked herself. Fun, entertainment, amusement… Something told her that those concepts weren't widely practiced in Draconia. Deciding she would find out, she turned to Rhem.

"Tell me, General… are you familiar with the concept of fun? … Humor?" she questioned, the gears in her head already rotating.

Tearing his eyes away from the fast approaching guards, he arched his brow at the alicorn.

"… No," he responded, though his tonality heavily suggested that he was curious.

She nodded in understanding. Her suspicious have been correct.

"Fun is the enjoyment of pleasure, particularly leisure. An enjoyable distraction, diverting mind and body from any serious task… or compounding it, anyway," she explained.

Tilting his head, the Draconian furrowed his eyebrows.

"What would be the point of that?"

"When an individual is challenged to think consciously and overcome obstacles, they are more likely to have an easier time with it if they change their perspective and view it as fun. Fun helps others to relax. Fun is… a sort of a social lubricant, important in adding to one's pleasure in life and helping to act as a buffer against stress.

"I have ruled Equestria for many, many years, General," she informed, suddenly overcome with a wash of melancholy. "Over three hundred doing so alone… But… it never used to be that way. I… used to rule alongside my little sister. I was forced to banish her… and everyday I have felt the hardship and pain, both emotional and mental, at having to deal with the burden of being a monarch."

'_There are days where all I want to do is just lay down and cry… but I cannot,'_ she thought to herself. _'I must remain strong.'_

"Having fun… helps to relieve that burden. If only for a short time."

The dragon was completely blown away by this information. Not to mention astonished that she shared with him something so personal. Turning his head and noting that the stallions were almost at their location, he dug his claws into the ground and tensed up.

"What do you suggest?"

"What do _I_ suggest?" the mare parroted. "I suggest we have a little fun. What say you?"

"I got that, but… how so?" he queried, shifting his full attention back to the solar pony.

A small, mischievous smirk crept up onto her face, doing nothing for a good moment. Then, without warning, she quickly reached out to prod his snout again.

"Tag! You're it!" Princess Celestia cried out, immediately dashing off, not caring if her royal guard did see her.

"Tag…? I'm… it…?"

More perplexed as he witnessed the alicorn retreat into the maze, he momentarily glanced skyward as the troops closed in. Snorting, he pursued the princess, wondering what she had in mind.

The guards were in a fair amount of shock caused by their ruler's very un-regal behavior. Some of them snapped out of it more quickly than others, but eventually, their collective minds returned to reality and gave chase.

Rhem sped around the corner, pumping his legs vigorously to catch up with the snow-coated pony.

"What are we doing?" he asked once he was running right behind her.

Truth be told, the princess knew she would start rumors about breaking her sophisticated and cultured air, even if for a few seconds - but at that point, she didn't care.

She was old, damn it. She was allowed to be a little eccentric from time to time. Besides, being capricious kept the royal guard on their hooftips. Bolting ahead at full speed, the equine couldn't help but feel long buried laughter burble up in peels from her throat. Hearing the general's question, she threw her head back to give him a full-on grin.

"Having fun!" she called back.

It had been far too long since she had truly enjoyed herself.

Rhem accelerated, slowly gaining ground on the pony. His ear frills perked forth as the princess' laughter rang through the air. It sounded light, heavenly… almost angelic, with a bell-like quality to it. The last time she laughed like this was when Princess Luna was still free, before she had been consumed by her jealousy and anger.

She did not yet realize this, being so thrilled at having so much fun that she didn't care. Nothing could bring her down. Even seeing Rhem's look of uncertainty as he ran alongside her was almost amusing to her.

The Draconian shifted his attention to the path behind him to find the guards steadily catching up. As one closed in, about to make a grab for his tail, he jumped at the wall, his claws gripping onto the hedge and continuing to run. Extending his wing, he swept it back at the stallion and sent him flying into the group behind him where they ended up in a crumpled heap.

Returning his eyes ahead of him, he transferred himself back onto the ground just in time to make another turn.

Princess Celestia easily shifted her weight into the turn to keep up with the dragon. While she was tempted to try and perform the same trick he had done, she was content to just stretch her legs and wings and just sprint.

She often didn't get the chance to do any strenuous exercise - the burning she was beginning to experience through her legs, her lungs pumping as she charged full on, her nostrils flaring with heated exhaled breath, the feel of the breeze through her mane and against her face, the blood coursing through her veins, the rush of adrenaline!

It felt revitalizing, in an odd sense. It made her feel _alive_.

She suddenly had the idea of showing up tomorrow morning to run with her guards for their daily constitutional. She could already imagine the looks on the faces of her soldiers and drill sergeant. How shocked they would be!

Sharply turning, Rhem focused ahead and saw that there was yet another dead end ahead, and both he and Princess Celestia were moving too quickly to slow to a stop on time to avoid crashing into it. With a burst of speed, he outran her and leaped at the wall, all four paws meeting the hedge in order to use his body to prevent the royal equine from crashing a second time.

Princess Celestia herself, too mentally distracted, also came to the belated realization that she needed to slow down a few seconds too late. Digging her hooves into the ground to attempt to skid to a halt, she was ultimately unsuccessful and plowed right into Rhem with enough force to send the two of them through the hedge itself.

He was used to landing on his feet whenever something sent him flying or tumbling. Unfolding his wings only to press them back down, on the princess, to keep her against his back, he prepared his feet for a landing. Sliding sideways as they touched the earth, tearing into the grass and dirt, the buildup of soil underneath his paws assisted him in slowing down and eventually stopping.

Straightening himself up with the equine on his back, the general stretched out his wings, enabling her to climb off when she wanted to.

The alabaster alicorn laid sprawled out, eyes spinning in her head for a few seconds. Clearing her head by swinging it from side to side, she let out a chuckle and hopped off of Rhem.

"… Thank you, General Rhem."

She graciously gave a short bow, her face stained a light pink. That could have turned out far worse than it had. She could only imagine how it would have looked if she had somehow ended up under the poor dragon.

… Or worse, wound up under the poor dragon… right in front of King Talonblaze.

The Draconian nodded and spun around. The guards poured out of the hole he made in the wall, rocketing towards him. Growling lowly, he readied himself for action.

The troops rained down to catch him, but the young general leaped out of the way. As more dove down, he kicked into overdrive, twisting away, slipping right underneath one to escape another and causing two to collide - thankfully, nothing he did resulted in any injuries. With lightning speed and catlike reflexes and flexibility with more jumps, performing flips and twists, he escaped every single attempt at him.

In the end, the stallions were reduced to a massive pile of ponies with Rhem as the triumphant victor.

Princess Celestia, still mildly dazed, merely sat down as she observed. Every time her ponies came close, Rhem would just get out of the way and elude capture again at the last second. It was a complete gong show, an absolute wreck of a demonstration. She was initially disappointed in her guard… but as their persistence lead to failure after inevitable failure, she began to find the whole ordeal very humorous.

Smiling over at the victorious dragon, she couldn't help but shake her head.

"Very good, General! Impressive! Most impressive."

"It… was?" he inquired, arching a brow, astounded. He had NEVER received praise from anyone back in his homeland.

Princess Celestia nodded.

"Not many individuals can outmaneuver my guards with such grace and agility… or for as long. You deftly evaded my best, and you made it look like mere child's play!"

"Your Highness…" a guard groaned as he pulled himself to his hooves. "Didn't you want us to capture him?"

"Actually, King Talonblaze requested us to train the general."

"This is so embarrassing… Going down like this… at the claws of somepony so young," mumbled another guard as he helped up a comrade.

"Should we continue to train with him?" asked a third stallion.

"I don't see why not." Princess Celestia smiled gently. "I'm sure that there are some things you all and he will be bound to learn from one another."

Rhem stood his ground with a soft growl, his brows knitting together as he delivered an intense stare that dared the guards to come at him.


	5. A Glaring Weakness

_Chapter Five: A Glaring Weakness_

Two guards, a unicorn and a pegasus, shared a glance between each other. The winged equine immediately launched himself into the air as the horned pony began to jump towards Rhem in a zig-zag fashion to distract. The pegasus, meanwhile, flew up to utilize the solar monarch's sun to his advantage to dive-bomb the dragon from behind.

Positioning his body so that his side was facing the unicorn the dragon unfolded his wings a tiny bit. He couldn't detect the pegasus thanks to the glare of the sun, and was struck in the back. The force brought him down onto his stomach, but he swiftly recovered. Clamoring to his feet, his wing snapped full sail at the unicorn almost like a snake, then shook his body to remove the pony on his back.

The unicorn leaped aside to evade the wing. However, the pegasus was thrown off. The feathered pony shook his head, feeling a little dizzy. Pulling himself up, he took to the air again to circle the dragon as the unicorn charged around in the opposite direction to try and work in tandem to confuse the beast.

With lightning-quick reflexes, the Draconian spun around and flung his tail at the unicorn to lasso his foreleg. With the stallion in his grip, he flung him aside and flapped his wings to take too the sky, his eyes fixated on his next target.

The unicorn yelped as he was thrown. The pegasus swung himself around in another arc and dove to catch his friend. Their hooves attaching to each other's in a sort of magnetic-like grip between each other, the pegasus pumped his wings harder to raise them higher as the unicorn's horn illuminated - both of them focusing on Rhem to take him on together.

Rhem bared his teeth with another growl and sped towards his opponents, aiming to head butt them out of the air and pin them to the ground. That glowing horn appeared awfully suspicious; and he mentally prepared himself to dodge if anything out of the ordinary happened.

The stallions both seemed to figure out his plan. As the pegasus darted towards the scaly creature, the unicorn summoned a bubble of a protective silver light that encompassed them.

Not willing to touch the bubble, Rhem flew around it and swerved. The dragon slowed to a stop, flapping his wings to remain aloft as he stared in bafflement. He had never seen magic before.

The pegasus banked hard to swing around. The duo hovered for a moment, before he charged in again in an effort to ram Rhem - the unicorn firing a few bursts of paralyzing magic.

Rhem was freaking out on the inside, but he would not display it. He wasn't going to show any weakness to anyone. He maneuvered his body out of the way with the same agility he had shown earlier. As he dodged the darts of magic, he wondered to himself how long that bubble was going to stay up.

The horned stallion growled lightly as he attempted to keep up the barrier - though, on the same instance, it seemed like the pegasus was having trouble remaining in the air. As they whooshed by a second time, the flying pony came to a land, setting his partner down.

The unicorn thus allowed the pegasus to rest, all the while launching several more surface-to-air shots up at the reptilian, now able to take better aim from a stationary position.

Finding avoiding the shots easier now that the equines were located on the ground and were in one spot, Rhem adroitly dodged. He had noticed the unicorn was appearing to show some signs of wear and was determined to wait until he succumbed to exhaustion.

A few minutes elapsed, the unicorn heaved, his face scrunching up. An idea sprung to mind and he willingly dropped the barrier.

There was that opening he had been waiting for! Without wasting a second, the Draconian general swooped down. He was looking forward to finishing the bout and moving onto other ponies. This had gone on long enough.

The unicorn guard grinned - he had deliberately planned this. Waiting for the right moment, he stood his ground… then threw the barrier right back up with his magic at the very last possible second.

Eyes widening, Rhem collided into the shield and bounced right off, his body tumbling back a few times before he gave a mighty flap of his wings and touched the ground. Face tightening and lips curling back into a snarl, he lunged forth, hurling a closed fist right at the barrier. Rising up on his hind legs, he relentlessly pounded onto it furiously.

The unicorn smirked, his barrier hardening and doubling up at the first punch, and holding fast against repeated blows. After several more, he began to struggle to keep the shield up, a crack forming and spreading. Gritting his teeth, he summoned his power, drawing his magic inwardly and letting his protection drop just for a second - long enough to aim a paralyzing spell point-blank into the general.

Numbing currents of energy coursed through Rhem's nervous system, rendering him unable to move. Falling over onto his side, his brain screamed at his limbs, but try as he might, they would not budge. Now rendered helpless before his opponents, he was filled to the brim with anxiety and shame.

The unicorn heaved, drained of power and strength from the attack. Closing his eyes, he dropped onto his stomach next to his spent partner.

Princess Celestia's eyes widened as she was presented with shock. The match had turned out to be a draw. Interestingly enough, Rhem appeared to be particularly vulnerable to magic…

And indeed as the mare had concluded, the Draconian general was especially weak to magic. The spell should have had a minor effect, but instead left him completely limp for several minutes. All he could do was breathe…

"General?" she ventured, approaching him. "Are you all right?"

His side rose and fell as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. A couple more minutes passed until his eyes finally swiveled and his toes twitched.

While the two guards were seen to by the others, Princess Celestia shifted closer to his side, lowering her head to nose him, physically rolling him over onto his belly.

Rhem grew nervous all over again as the alicorn touched him. He felt the instinctual urge to leap away… but he couldn't…

Though, he did start to calm down a tiny dosage as he felt her push his body onto his stomach. What was she doing? Was she helping him? Why was she helping him?

"There… I'm curious… That spell should have worn off by now…"

Narrowing her eyes, she focused the power in her horn to encompass Rhem in a bath of yellow light, dispelling the paralytic energies.

The dragon's anxiety skyrocketed as her magic enveloped him. Panicking, he mentally yelled at his muscles to move again, and he was up on his feet, scrambling away from the equine the instant he regained mobility.

Standing a dozen feet away, he ducked into a defensive stance, staring at her with wide eyes.

The alicorn didn't seem to be at all offended, merely dispensing a small, yet somewhat nervous, smile.

"That's better. At least you're able to move again."

'_So the Draconians are weak to magic. I have to remember this…'_

"Are… we finished here, Your Highness?" queried a soldier, eyeing the Draconian closely. He didn't seem very eager to continue fighting.

"Yes. We're done for today," she answered as she turned to her troops, her attention predominately on the unicorn and pegasus who fought against Rhem. "Wonderful job."

Rhem kept his bewildered eyes on the Equestrian monarch. It wasn't until after the soldiers departed when he decided to speak to her.

"Why did you help me?"

"Why shouldn't I have?" the princess countered with a warm grin directed at the winged reptilian. "By the way, you did very well yourself."

"I am supposed to take care of myself," he replied, becoming more visibly relaxed.

"Hmmm. I suppose that is true. Most fully-grown beings are expected to do that." She nodded once, her tranquil expression never leaving. "Though, you are among friends, General. There's no reason not to be altruistic."

"… Friends?" the dragon pressed, knitting his scaly eyebrows together in confusion all over again.

The pony nodded again in confirmation.

"Yes. Friends. Acquaintances, individuals you trust and enjoy spending time with," she relayed as she gazed at him, looking a little worried that he was unfamiliar with even this.

"… I… have not been introduced to that concept," the young general revealed, taking a step closer.

"I… see…" The corners of Princess Celestia's lips drooped into a frown. "Well… Friendship is a distinctively personal relationship that is grounded in a concern on the part of each friend for the welfare of the other, for the other's sake, and that involves some degree of intimacy. A mutual state of affection between the two or more individuals."

"Intimacy? Affection? I do not understand. Why would… anyone be like that?"

The young dragon was more puzzled than before, and the look on his face displayed it prominently.

"Let me turn this question around. Why would anypony NOT want to be like that? … I'm curious, really. Most your age would have developed significant camaraderie with others - perhaps even found love."

The Draconian didn't know how to answer. Instead, he asked another question.

"What is love?"

"Love? Well, love is… rather complicated to explain. I'm not sure I can adequately describe it in mere words. It's a deep, powerful emotion. An immense form of attachment or attraction, or tender feeling for another individual, such as friends, loved ones, offspring, or even just… others in general."

The dragon nodded slowly as he processed the information.

"How does one feel it? How does it develop in someone?"

Princess Celestia pursed her lips, going silent for a moment.

"I'm not certain how to answer that, General. Love is such a basic, natural emotion. I really can't explain how one goes about _feeling_ it… However, I suppose it develops by allowing an attachment to form. A desire to… nurture something. See it grow. Protect it."

"So… if I formed an attachment to you, love would develop?" he queried. The draconic being didn't know this, but he already had fashioned a sort of attachment to the equine princess after the chase around the labyrinth and again after she had helped him.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," she said, smile returning to her features. "Love takes many forms, General. Platonic love, such as friendship, is very, very common - and it would please me greatly to be able to call you my friend."

Again, the mare surprised him, but said nothing further on the matter and decided to change the subject.

"Why did you open up to me earlier?"

"About my sister, you mean?" The alicorn sighed lightly through her nose as her smile disappeared again. "… I'm sorry for dumping that on you, General, it's… Well, it's been over three-hundred years. Every single day since that, I have always thought of my sister. I love her so much… and, even now, to know that… that she's not here, with me, where she should be… … it hurts."

"It sounds like love has a bad side to it," he commented, coming even closer.

"No. No, it doesn't. Yes, love can hurt… It can leave us feeling pained, weak, or even sick… but it's said it's always better to have loved and lost than to have never loved in the first place."

"You said being away from your sister hurts you… Can being away from someone cause weakness or sickness? Or are there other ways?" the general inquired, resting upon his rump a couple of feet away from her.

"Yes, and no. Emotions are… a tricky thing to explain," Princess Celestia stated, turning partially away to direct her eyes towards a tree where a couple of birds were happily roosting against each other. "I have noticed that there are animals who stay with their partner their entire lives. Should one die… it's not uncommon for the other to shortly join it."

"Join it?" the reptile mimicked as he followed her gaze and observed the birds. "You mean die itself?"

She nodded.

"Yes. Some animals' bonds of love to each other are so strong that nothing will separate them… Not even death."

"That is strange. No one is like that in Draconia." He paused, returning his sight to the regal pony. "… You probably already figured that out."

"I've… come to that conclusion, yes," she said after a moment elapsed, glancing over at him. "I'm beginning to suspect that Equestria and Draconia have… diametrically opposing cultures."

"Likely… I will need to learn more about Equestrian culture. I have not seen much."

With a smile tipping her lips, she turned fully to the dragon.

"I can teach you. Or rather, I can _show_ you."

Once again, she astounded him.

"You… will?"

"Of course," the princess affirmed. "You're young… You have a lot to learn. What would you like to know about first?"

The dragon scanned the mare's flowing mane, a certain question burning inside of him.

"Since your mane and tail move on their own… are they alive?" he asked, his eyes rounded, showing that he was eager for a response.

Princess Celestia wasn't surprised - she had received that question quite often, from foals both in Canterlot and in other villages that she sometimes visited.

"No, they're not alive. I know it may appear as such. No, it's because of my magic. Because I am an alicorn, I have far more innate power than any of my little ponies - even the unicorns, whose specialty is magic. I am capable of raising the sun and moon, and my celestial power manifests itself through my body… specifically, through my hair."

Rhem's fiery yellow-orange eyes inflated even wider.

"You… can actually… _move_ the sun and moon?!"

The dragon gazed upon the alicorn with pronounced awe and admiration. Even King Talonblaze was unable to perform such a feat.

"It is a power I inherited. A deep, ancient power I was infused with long ago. Of course, I didn't always have it - I only controlled the sun, my sister the moon. And, yet, even with those the two of us together wielded and commanded an even greater magic… the Elements of Harmony." She offered him a strained, slightly sad, smile. "I never told you about our history, did I? About my younger sister… and how… she is no longer present?"

Rhem shook his head, obviously very interested in learning more.

"No, you did not. Where is your sister?"

Princess Celestia inhaled a small breath, looking up and over the horizon, where she would be raising the moon later.

"Imprisoned. In the moon. She was… corrupted. Consumed, by a dark presence. She proved to be a… a threat, to my subjects, that I had to stop at any cost."

"You tore someone you love away from you… for your subjects?" he asked incredulously.

"I had no choice. Luna was… not herself. And she refused to lower the moon to make way for the sun. If she had prevailed in eternal night…" She shook her head. "… It was a painful decision, but I had to act quickly… I just…"

The mare exhaled on a forlorn sigh.

"I wish I could have _saved_ my sister…"

The dragon wavered on whether or not to release this bit of information to the princess. He still didn't trust her fully, but ultimately figured since she was opening up to him, it would be all right for him to do the same.

"I had to kill my siblings for my own survival."

Princess Celestia was overcome with a pang of shock and sorrow.

"What…?" she softly said, unable to believe it at first. "… That's… that's…"

That was… _inequine, _she realized. Beyond cruel. Twisted, even.

"It's… what?" he solicited, wanting to know what she thought of it.

"Horrible," the pony replied. "Outrageous. Sick beyond words!"

"I suppose to you it is. It is normal in Draconia. All soldiers have to go through with it," he began, glancing off slightly. "In order to pick the strongest out of a clutch… the entire group is trained until they reach age seven and… they are… we are… we… we have to kill each other."

Princess Celestia looked as if she would be ill.

"That's… that's _barbaric_. How can… how?"

Her eyes went wide in aghast belief, part of her outraged - _furious_.

"That is just the way it is. That is the way it has always been…" Rhem huffed.

Princess Celestia paused. Studying him, she got the feeling he felt guilt and remorse for his actions… and, she had to gently tell herself that he wasn't entirely responsible. Had he refused, she came to the conclusion that he would've been killed himself.

He was a strong dragon. Very strong. Very swift. Cunning. He had to be - he wouldn't have otherwise been a general at such a young age. And he seemed to hold quite a number of regrets, though he was so naïve to the ways of the world.

She carefully weighed her options. She wanted to ask him something, but she held an odd feeling she could be risking too much. The fate of Equestria could rest on that one question.

Hell, she had already taken a risk giving land to King Talonblaze. She didn't trust him at all. The king was planning something. She could feel it.


	6. Culture Shock

_Chapter Six: Culture Shock_

"… Rhem… Tell me something. Just how… far… would you go for King Talonblaze?"

The addressed Draconian had to think about this… It really mattered on the circumstances. He held no loyalty for his ruler.

"It depends… I do not aim to please him, I aim to survive." The young dragon closed his eyes just for a moment, taking in a deep breath as he contemplated heavily on the next bits of information he would be spouting. "Did… you give him any land?"

Princess Celestia was pleased by this. She hadn't fully expected Rhem to say that he would do absolutely anything for his king, but that told her that she could likely trust him.

"Yes, I did. We agreed he could have the lands of Gaitland to the east along the borders, and there are none of our ponykind out there using it."

Rhem shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing as his facial features morphed into a look of absolute seriousness.

"Do not give him anything. There is no shortage of land for our livestock. He lied to you so he would have more room to raise a bigger army and eventually invade your country."

The alicorn felt her heart stop for a second, her brows sinking. So, she had been right all along. She was right to believe she could not trust King Talonblaze. Part of her was suspicious that this was a ruse as well. Though, as she stared into the reptilian's eyes, with how serious he appeared, she got the feeling that he wasn't lying.

'_Why would he? … He has nothing to lose… Nothing to hide.'_

"I see," she said after a short abeyance. "I suspected King Talonblaze was planning something, I just wasn't sure what."

She stole a cursory glance, to check if the Draconian monarch was around. For some reason, she was struck with a deep seated sense of paranoia.

"… Rhem… how would you feel if I were to offer you a chance to escape from everything you know? If I offered you a chance to learn the ways of the world? It's clear to me you have no love, or loyalty to your king… and my forces are severely unequipped to deal with a Draconian invasion. I could use… an ally."

"You… are offering me to… stay here?" he asked, wanting to be certain. It just seemed too good to be true.

The mare nodded with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Nopony should have to suffer through what you did. And I also have the sick feeling there's more to it than what you've told me."

His entire face glowed at the idea of leaving King Talonblaze's forces forever and serving Princess Celestia. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was unable to form any words due to the flood of emotion. His eyes even began to tear up.

Suddenly, a thought came to mind, and the bliss that had bloomed within him died. King Talonblaze would be livid beyond measure if the princess were to take him, his prized general - the one he had been waiting for many centuries after careful selective breeding. He would want to take his anger out on Equestria with double - maybe triple - vengeance.

"No. That would be a foolish thing to do. If you take me, King Talonblaze would be furious."

The solar princess paused, mulling this over.

Yes, that actually did seem quite likely. Something told her that King Talonblaze would be more than a little upset at such a betrayal. There was also the fact that, while she would be glad to have the general serving in her armed forces, she wasn't sure the rest of her guards would feel the same way.

As it was, if Rhem defected to Equestria, then she assumed that the dragon king would indeed waste no effort in… wasting _them_.

"I doubt you want the full force of his wrath on your kingdom."

"King Talonblaze is planning an invasion anyway," she said. "I would most likely receive the full force of his wrath regardless."

The dragon was silenced as his eyes clouded over, drifting into deep thought.

"Maybe… there is a way to convince him to leave your country alone…"

"And… that would be?" she ventured, arching her eyebrow.

His fiery eyes lit up with resolve, flashing with a devious glint.

"From what you have observed from training, I went down quite easily from that sorcery that unicorn used. King Talonblaze really prides himself in his army's power and he would enjoy watching me fight one of your own soldiers. If you invite him to a sparring match and pit me up against one of your unicorns, he can give me one blast of his magic and I will go down. Then maybe you can say something about boosting your unicorn troops to him? Seeing me go down would make him think about how the rest of his warriors would fare against your unicorns."

Princess Celestia went over the idea in her head. The idea… actually had merit. Put on a good show, make it look like a struggle, and Rhem would take the fall. The young reptilian had a point, King Talonblaze seeing his most prized general go down would possibly intimidate him to a potential standoff…

"That actually sounds quite feasible," she admitted, considering it. "It might give King Talonblaze pause to think twice before on an invasion as well."

The young general felt quite proud of himself for concocting such a scheme.

"… Are you going to pick out a guard?"

"I shall." The tall mare nodded. "In fact, I'll pass the mention to King Talonblaze myself, get his opinion. I think it would be interesting to see how you fare against them… even if you plan on throwing the fight to my champion."

Rhem was intrigued over the armed forces' other abilities. Since things were so different in this country, he was curious to know more about them.

"How long have they been training and serving you?"

"I've had the royal guard around for as long as my sister and I have been in power. But, if you mean how long each individual has served… at no point do I ever require any sort of mandatory service. All of my guards were those who volunteered. We've got soldiers here who have only been in the royal guard for a couple of months, and we've got those who have been here for decades. On the average, my ponies usually serve a couple of years before they're relieved from duty, unless they decide to continue service."

Another pause quieted the dragon as he attempted to imagine what it would be like to be able to have the choice to serve in an army or not. He would have enjoyed the training he received if the Draconian customs had been taken out of it.

"We do not have a choice. We have to abide by the king's wishes whether we want to or not. If someone is considered weak in his eyes, or not developing fast enough… he believes they are better off dead. He does not want to… waste resources and space on dragons he considers unworthy…"

Princess Celestia shook her head slowly in disapproval.

"I don't believe in that. I will admit, there is a certain quality to that line of thinking - after all, I want my guards to be the best of the best, too - but, I'm certainly not going to _kill_ somepony for simply not doing a good job.

"No… if he or she is not developing fast enough, we'll do everything we can to make sure they're up to speed. And if he or she still doesn't reach that level… well, we're sure to find an area they would be more properly suited in. We all have our place to serve, and some are just better than others in areas.

"… And… if it turns out that he or she's not suited to being in the royal guard, then we discharge them. We've had more than a few who were unable to serve for a myriad of reasons. Physical disabilities, chronic illness… insubordination, among others."

Rhem was amazed to say the least, more drawn into the Equestrian culture. The instant the word "she" emanated from the alicorn, he looked… shocked.

"You… allow… _females_ to become soldiers?"

Smile widening a tiny bit, she gave another nod.

"Of course. We value gender equality as much as we do skill. We tend to keep stallions and mares in designated branches, but we've got plenty of female soldiers. One of my top lieutenants is a mare who's served nearly two decades."

"King Talonblaze thinks all females are good for is producing eggs. And that… they are not strong enough to be warriors…" Rhem informed. "I would not know that though… Females are kept in the far south of our country and separated from the rest of us. So… I have never seen a female dragon."

"Well… again, to a certain extent, I can see how that can be. But, still, I don't agree with it. We don't have our entire populace in the military, and the civilians that don't serve often handle day-to-day tasks. We contract a lot of citizens for things such as produce and other supplies like our weapons and armor.

"While we keep our male and female forces separate, that doesn't mean they can't interact. We do tend to discourage military romances in the same branch, especially if it happens to involve chain of command, but we've got a number of those who serve that are… together."

"Together? You mean… as… mates?" he asked.

The mare nodded once again.

"You would be surprised how many ponies have significant others in my royal guard. In fact, my female lieutenant, Ruby Spears - her husband, both of their sons, and daughter are also in the royal guard… As far as I'm aware, they're the only family who's members have all willingly served in such a capacity."

He dropped his vision to the ground to replay her words before lifting his eyes back to her again.

"Will you explain in further detail how families are formed?"

The alicorn's eyes twinkled.

"Family forming, hmm? … Alright, I'll use this as an example. Say we have a male and a female. The male finds the female particularly attractive, as she does him. The two of them don't know each other, and introduce themselves. As they get to know one another, they build a relationship and become friends by sharing mutual interests and finding things in common.

"The male can show affection by giving the female a gift she would enjoy. The female can, in return, maybe give him a nuzzle or a hug, or possibly a gift in return. This isn't necessary. Sometimes enjoying each other's company can be affection all by itself.

"As time passes, this feeling can grow. If it does, the two may want to spend more time together. They may want to make the other happy, as it pleases them. In time, the two might fall in love. If they love each other enough, they may want to spend the rest of their lives together… and perhaps procreate, producing offspring. The male, female, and the child or children they create is called a family.

"The children are then nurtured by the parents. They raise their children, help them to grow, guiding them, and teaching them. As those children grow and mature, they eventually seek out mates of their own, and the cycle begins anew."

Rhem was quiet for a few seconds before he parted his jaws to speak.

"Eggs are taken away as soon as they are laid and transferred to a hatchery. When we hatch… we are given our basic needs… except for… affection. We are taught what we are supposed to be, how to act, and how we should think. If we stray from our teachings or ask questions that does not have to do with our future… we are beaten… I have… seen a few of my brothers die under beatings…"

The Equestrian princess closed her eyes and shuddered, her heart breaking.

"That's horrible…" she sighed, opening her eyes again. "No child should ever have to endure such a thing. And your society _actively encourages_ this…?"

"Our society at large knows only our own customs and they believe it is normal… Even I did. Now that I know of another nation to compare ours to." The Draconian once again replayed his newly acquired knowledge, and prepared to ask about a few words he didn't recognize. "There are some things you said I do not know about… Like… what is a nuzzle? Or a hug?"

The pony couldn't help but smile.

"You've got a lot to learn." She chuckled, moving closer to throw a foreleg around his shoulders and draw him into an embrace and rub her muzzle against his. "That… was a hug, followed by a nuzzle."

Rhem tensed up as he was pulled in and he scrunched up his muzzle lightly at the nuzzle, finding it strange. He wasn't sure what to think of it or if he liked it or not. The soft fur was pleasant though…

Princess Celestia held him close, sighing. Several moments elapsed and she abruptly let him go.

"I'm sorry, General. I got a little carried away. I… haven't really hugged anypony like that since… since before Luna…"

He appeared uncomfortable, but he remained pressed up against her, the starch tension steadily fading.

"Why have you not hugged anyone else like that since?"

"Predominately, because of customs," she explained. "I'm expected to maintain appearances. I'm supposed to be this high-and-mighty monarch of the entire kingdom… To let my public see me giving hugs, or nuzzling others supposedly below my station… or just merely frolicking in the fields…

"I risk losing respect. I shouldn't have rumors started."

Scanning their environment, Rhem scooted closer and pressed more of his body against hers.

"Hrm… You may hug me…"

Princess Celestia smiled. Sighing lightly, she pulled Rhem into another hug.

"… Thank you, General."

"King Talonblaze does not care what his public thinks of him. As long as he is obeyed, he is happy… or satisfied at least."

Body sinking slightly against the alicorn, the winged reptilian sighed and tucked his head underneath hers.

Princess Celestia chuckled softly.

"Well, you know what? … I think I shouldn't really care what my ponies think of me, too, at times. I think I have a right to be a little aberrant once in a while. Besides," she halted to take a look around, "I don't see anypony around."

Giving the mare's neck fur a nuzzle of his own, he sighed again. Feeling an emotional dam beginning to break, tears subsequently pooled in his eyes.

The Equestrian monarch didn't see him crying, and simply hugged him a little closer while running her other foreleg down his side and back to comfort him. He needed this… and she was only too happy to give. She couldn't help but smile warmly, feeling good that she was indulging him, and knowing that he wouldn't get this treatment back in his homeland.

As she did so, she momentarily lapsed her vigilance in keeping a watch for King Talonblaze, figuring he wouldn't by coming by anyway. They were still in the center of the labyrinth.

The dragon lifted a paw to wipe his eyes, not wanting Princess Celestia to see him crying. Reveling in the warmth and comfort, the moment was soon interrupted by an enraged yell that belonged to King Talonblaze.

Princess Celestia instantly jumped away from Rhem, eyes widening and searching. While she didn't want to just jerk away from him in such a manner, she also didn't want him getting in trouble.

Her eyes darted around vainly in search for the dragon king, wondering if he had seen them. That roar had been so loud and carried so easily, she assumed he had…

Rhem took to the skies to locate his king, eventually finding him in the gardens and was currently being escorted into the palace by a guard. Unbeknownst to him, a bee had flown up one of King Talonblaze's nostrils and stung the flesh inside. While the monarch had insisted he was fine, the nostril was beginning to swell. A nurse would meet him in his room.

The general rejoined Princess Celestia on the ground with a look of worry in his eyes. Even though he didn't like his king, he was still concerned over what happened.

"King Talonblaze is being lead inside the castle."

Princess Celestia gave a significant sigh, feeling a little foolish that they may have been caught. Chuckling, she smiled - though it was really more to dismiss what ever anxiety she still possessed. She quickly got serious.

"What's wrong? Did he do something?"

"I do not know. No one around him appeared hurt. Sometimes he yells for no reason other than to let out anger or frustration." He closed the distance between them again, this time, sliding his own foreleg around her. "You are really soft and warm…"

The princess smirked, settling back down onto her haunches and allowing herself to shift closer to him.

"I almost wonder what he was yelling about… Almost. I probably would rather not know."


	7. An Accidental Knockout

_Chapter Seven: An Accidental Knockout_

King Talonblaze sat impatiently upon the bed in his designated guest quarters. He apparently had a mild allergic reaction to the bee sting, and was currently waiting for a nurse to tend to him. A young mare soon entered, tossing a single look at him. Surprisingly she wasn't frightened, or even intimidated, to be in the same room with him. Her pelt was rose in color, with a mostly blue mane and tail with a yellow stripe running trough the wavy locks. She wore a nurse's cap, with her flanks emblazoned by two red hearts with a band-aid crossed over them.

"So. Bee got you huh?" she asked, allowing herself a small smirk. "That had to be embarrassing."

The Draconian arched his brow, astounded that this small pony showed no hint of fear towards him. The guards and servants were afraid of him - even dragons back at home were terrified of him!

Quickly brushing off his bewilderment, he huffed indignantly to be seen in such a state.

"Uh-huh. Let's get it over with," he grumbled as he eyed the mare. He was eager to get this taken care of. Not only was the swelling in one of his nostrils humiliating, but the throbbing in the area where the bee had stung him was annoying. He could still feel the little insect's stinger inside of his nose.

She chuckled, plodding over and dropping her back onto the floor - bumping it lightly with her bottom.

"Of course, of course."

Reaching into her bag physically with her mouth, she pulled out a long candlestick and match and quickly lit it. Holding up the candle in one hoof and gazing up his nose, she searched.

"Ha, ha! There's the little bugger. Though, hrrm…" She paused, appearing a bit flustered as she sat down upon her rump and tugged her bag closer for better access for the contents inside, sticking her other hoof in to pull out a set of tweezers. "It's a mighty small one. Tiny little thing. Not sure if I'll be able to get it out, but I'm damn well gonna try."

King Talonblaze felt a flash of anger and irritation as the nurse moved the tweezers around inside his nostril, repeatedly failing to get a grip on the stinger. Growling softly, he shifted his head as her actions caused a tickling sensation.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to get at the stinger - however, each time she got a bit closer or was about to get it, the winged reptile would jerk a certain way and cause her to miss and slightly scrape against the swollen inner walls of his nostril. She grunted after the fourth time she had failed.

"Now, dammit, stop squirming and hold still!" she said, bopping the dragon on the snout with the bottom of the candlestick. "Do you want me to get that stinger out or not?"

The Draconian king growled a little louder.

"Well, you _were_ tickling my nose!"

She hastily mumbled a sincere apology for the discomfort, before immediately going back to her work. This time, she was able to actually clamp down on the small part of the stinger still sticking out and squeeze it out.

"There we go! Finally."

The mare sighed, blowing out the candle and putting it and the tweezers back in the bag - keeping the hot end out of the bag. Retrieving a small bronze glass bottle and a cotton swab, she dabbled the swab with the liquid and rubbed it against where the swelling had originated.

"This will help reduce the pain and possibly stop swelling," she breathed, removing the swab and disposing of it in a nearby trash basket. Trotting back over to her bag, she picked up in her teeth and set it down on her back. "Let me know if it still hurts later, and we can get you some ice or additional medicine."

"Yes, yes. Will do," he gruffed with a roll of his eyes and watched the mare exit the room.

Rhem wandered out of the labyrinth with Princess Celestia in tow, bounding actively in the garden and unwittingly scaring the exotic animals that resided there. Curious about the various species of flora, he zipped from blossom to blossom, asking the princess questions about them.

The alicorn found his near limitless and childish energy amusing. The animals weren't much used to other individuals being in the garden aside from the caretaker and herself, and they generally tended to flee whenever someone else was there.

She had a mental image of one day introducing some additional ponies to her garden. In the meantime, she followed the dragon to answer his queries and educate him on the numerous plants that decorated the landscape.

He breathed in the plethora of aromas as he touched his nose gently to each type of flower he came across. One specific flower caught his attention. Padding up to it, he marveled at it as his vision drank in its unique physique. He lowered his nose to it and took a whiff. He really liked the scent of this one.

"Hm. This one smells really nice," he remarked as he turned to Princess Celestia expectantly.

The princess trotted up to his side, the grass beneath her hooves giving a crisp crunching sound.

"That, my friend, is a very well-known flower: the rose." Smiling, she brought down her head to smell one of them. "They're very popular in perfumes, and they are often given as gifts to express emotions… commonly, love, such as the red ones here."

She turned her body to her right where other colors of roses were growing further down.

"Red is not the only color. Roses come in quite a number. White, yellow, pink… In fact, the rose has come to be symbolic, and is often portrayed in art."

That was very interesting! The flower was symbolic and given as a gift? That gave Rhem an idea… Opening his jaws, he clamped them down on one of the thorny stems and yanked off a rose, managing to tear a few branches off in the process. Bouncing in front of the alicorn, he presented her with the rose and a small chunk of the bush.

She wondered what he was doing behind her when she heard the rustling of leaves and the snap of branches. Eyes widening, she stared at him in surprised… then smiled with a hearty chuckle.

"… Thank you, Rhem. That's… sweet of you."

The mare felt flattered - tactfully choosing _not_ to point out the fact that he had inadvertently torn up her bush, accepted his gift graciously.

Parting his jaws, he let the rose and thin branches to exit his mouth, revealing the nicks on his tongue from the thorns. He was used to cuts, so he hardly noticed them.

"Sweet?"

He tilted his head with wide, questioning eyes.

Holding them in her cloud of magic, she removed the branches and thorns from the stem of her rose, allowing them to drop to the ground.

"I mean to say it was very kind of you," she explained as she tucked the stem into her mane, extrapolating on her words.

"Oh."

Satisfied that she appreciated his gesture, he turned around to search for any flowers he might have missed. That was when his attention was stolen by a single monarch butterfly. He had seen many kinds of butterflies before, but none of this variety. Turning back around, he watched the vibrant winged insect flutter around his head a couple of times before it settled upon his nose.

Princess Celestia had been about to ask the Draconian general if his tongue hurt when she, too, became distracted by the butterfly. Following his gaze, she broke out into a smile when it landed on his snout.

"How cute!" she chuckled.

"I do not know what cute means either."

Eyes crossing as he peered down at the creature perched on his nose, he observed it inspect the scaly surface of his muzzle for a few moments. Spotting another butterfly, it promptly took to the air to give chase.

"It means finding something pleasing, pretty, or delightful by virtue of eliciting affection towards it… predominately because it looks especially dainty, or charming."

Rhem nodded as his brain processed the mare's words.

"I suppose the butterfly is cute then. And you, as well."

A light shade of pink dusted over her cheeks as she stared at him. Blush disappearing, she smiled, mentally brushing it off. He was just ignorant of his words.

"Um, thank you, General. That's very kind of you to say."

He nodded.

"Princess Celestia? Do you think I could… explore your land? I would like to see how your subjects live, and what they do."

The princess' small smile spread wider.

"I don't see why not. If you don't mind me accompanying you."

Normally, she would have let him head out on his own, but recalling the reports that ponies were rather frightened of him and King Talonblaze…

It would be best if she went with him to allay suspicion and the fears from her subjects.

"I do not mind at all."

Eager to see the monarch's people, he unfolded his wings and pushed off the ground. Remaining suspended in one place, he waited for the princess to do the same.

Princess Celestia had been about to call for an attendant to procure a carriage, but decided against it and spread her wings to lift herself into the air. Despite the romp through the labyrinth, she came to the conclusion that she wasn't going to get this much exercise in a while, and was grateful for the opportunity.

"Why don't we start in Canterlot proper?"

The excited dragon nodded eagerly, powerful muscles gliding under his scales as he flapped his wings. He flew alongside the alicorn, his eyes exploring the scenery below.

The mare's smile grew further, feeling the wind beneath her feathery extremities as she pumped them to provide her with additional altitude. Soaring past the castle and out over the lands of Canterlot, the princess gazed out at the stretches of farm land going out for miles. There were quite a number of mills, ponies working out in the fields, with only one particular building appearing a bit different from the rest. A sole winery could be spotted on top of the rolling hills down from the city.

That was outside the walled borders. Inside the large stone walls was the city proper. Cobblestone streets were paved with buildings on both sides of them, alleyways leading to other areas with major roads connected to a central hub. The city was home to mostly nobility, with only the southern end open predominately to the merchant and the upper middle class.

Excited and unable to hold himself back, Rhem made an earthbound dive, swooping over the buildings and landing heavily upon one of the cobblestone paths. His actions unintentionally frightened a large amount of civilians, causing them to scream and run amok. The Draconian was confused by this. He didn't see anything dangerous around. Why were they running away?

Princess Celestia gasped, diving after him.

"Rhem!" she called out to him, landing next to him. Flaring her wings out, she cried out to her citizens, "Fear not, my little ponies! Rhem is a friend! He will not harm you!"

"Why would they think I would hurt them? I never acted hostile towards them," Rhem asked the equine beside him with a confused askew glance.

A multitude of the ponies remained indoors despite their princess' reassurance. The thought of a dragon wandering the streets was too much for them to handle at the moment. Those who did venture out rooted themselves at a safe distance, observing the dragon.

"Xenophobia, I'm afraid." She sighed, and brought her lips close to his ear frill to whisper to him. "A fear of foreigners. You're an outsider, General Rhem… and, I hate to say it, but even though you're sweet… you don't exactly look… _non-threatening_."

She loathed to admit it, but the sheer presence of Rhem did seem as such. She had hoped that by being in close proximity to him, the princess could demonstrate that he was nothing to fear.

"… None of them will… want anything to do with me?" he queried. The general couldn't help but feel a little bit hurt.

"Give it time," she gently assured. "You'll win them over, I'm sure. Just stay close to me… and remember to smile."

Almost as if on cue, a slightly tattered leather ball rolled to a stop directly in front of Rhem. A small child, chasing after it - came to a skidding halt several feet in front of the dragon and princess upon noticing the scaled beast. Frightened, he reared back and slowly stepped backwards with wide eyes.

Rhem stared at the rounded object. Never before had he seen a ball before. When he was about to lower his head to give it an experimental sniff, the poppy red unicorn colt caught his attention. Blinking over at the little one, he forced an awkward toothy grin.

Princess Celestia dispensed a warm and disarming grin, as the boy who had been chasing the ball gave a squeak at the dragon's smile and took another few steps away.

"It's all right, little one," she softly said. "Rhem's a nice dragon. He won't hurt you, we promise."

Glancing at Rhem, she nodded once.

"Uh… hello," the Draconian greeted, unsure of what to even say to the unicorn.

The colt didn't even live in this area of Canterlot, but had been playing with one of the fillies his age that did belong in the proper. He was from the farmlands. His light pink playmate swallowed hard and trotted up to his side with intentions on helping him if he needed it, regarding the dragon with horror.

The colt was terrified, but he stood his ground. Glancing around, the princess didn't see any concerned parents rushing up to snatch the foals and drag them to safety, and began to wonder what would happen…

"Try rolling the ball back to them," she whispered to Rhem as she gestured at the spherical object with a hoof, curious to see what the children would do.

Rhem dropped his head and gave the ball a nudge with his snout… with too much force, sending it flying over the children's heads and smacking a stallion in the face hard enough to knock him out cold.

"… Oops…"

Oops indeed. The colt and filly sprang back, slinking away further before turning and fleeing outright. Princess Celestia's eyes practically popped out of her head, not having expected that to happen at all.

The reptilian ducked his head in anticipation for a punishment from the monarch for his carelessness, but none came.

She hadn't even bothered to admonish Rhem, instead running up to the fallen stallion to check if he was all right. The stallion was - like almost every other pony in Canterlot - a unicorn silver in color, with a thinning mane of brown hair and red highlights. He wore a fairly sharp red overcoat, black pants, and a cravat, and was laying on his side with spirals in his eyes. A set of thick-rimmed gold trim glasses were off to the side, one lens with thick spider-web cracks, the other missing entirely.

The alicorn tried to rouse him, nudging him with her muzzle, only to receive a groan in response.

Rhem followed the princess and planted himself at her side. He watched anxiously as she nosed the stallion, hoping that he would get up.

He didn't.

Shifting his attention to her, he offered an apologetic frown.

"… Sorry."

The mare shook her head.

"It was an accident, General. These things happen." Exhaling a sigh, she utilized her magic to levitate the unconscious unicorn up. "We can get him to an infirmary and see that he's tended to, and then perhaps we can continue to… see the countryside."

The countryside sounded like a safe place to go. No ponies out there to unwittingly frighten or injure.

Just as Rhem was about to head off with Princess Celestia, a good sized rock struck him in the back of the head.

"Hey!"

He whipped around to get a look at the perpetrator. A pair of teenage colts continued their assault with more rocks.

Princess Celestia stepped in front. The rocks were deflected by magic, bouncing off by a shimmering wall of mana, while at least one was caught in mid-air and subsequently disintegrated.

She was clearly displeased.

"Enough! Go about your business, citizens."

Rhem was once again bewildered by the mare as she protected him - even though he didn't really need it. His respect and admiration for her only increased at this. Though, an insulting statement pulled his attention away from her and evoked a soft growl from the depths of his throat.

"But, Princess! That monster hurt our father!" the older proclaimed in their defense.

An expression of shock drew itself upon the alicorn's face. Of course, how could she not have realized that the poor stallion was the father of these young ponies? Coming forward, she lowered her head to meet the older colt at eye level, looking a little upset.

"I understand, but it was an accident. Rhem didn't mean to hurt your father." She gazed over her shoulder to regard the dragon's miserable expression. "Tell me, does that look like somepony who deliberately meant to cause any harm?"

The colt took a look at Rhem then exchanged a silent glance with his brother.

"But… he's a dragon! Dragons are evil, heartless beasts that like to kill ponies!"

Princess Celestia shook her head.

"It's true that Rhem is a dragon, but it should be common knowledge you should never judge a book by its cover. You should also know that one particular individual is not representative of a group at large."

"B… but…! He has sharp teeth and claws and a bunch of scars! He must have gotten in a bunch of fights and killed things!" the youngest attempted to contribute.

"That very well may be possible," Princess Celestia mused, but smiled. "However, you should really get to know somepony first before making accusations based just off their physical appearance."

As it was, standing there and arguing with these colts really wasn't getting their father the medical treatment he needed.

"In any case, your father isn't getting the medical attention he needs. Let us see him be given proper care."

With that, she turned to leave.


	8. History Lesson

_Chapter Eight: History Lesson_

The teenagers were hesitant at first, but they followed the alicorn while keeping themselves away from the dragon. The Draconian himself wasn't doing so well. He was used to taking verbal abuse from his own kind, but receiving it from ponies - a far more benevolent race - brought him down further.

Princess Celestia continued down the cobblestone path that would lead the way to the infirmary. As they entered the central hub, several ponies turned to flee, or at least get out of the way. One pony in particular, however, did not. She was an earth pony mare from the farmlands, with a dusty orange coat, and her cutie mark was obscured by the harness attaching her to the cart she was hauling. Her light brown mane was done up in a braid, underneath a wide-brimmed straw hat. She passed by the princess, giving a lighthearted bow and a smile. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to even notice the significantly large dragon right next to her.

Rhem kept his head low and forced a smile, only managing little success. He was still feeling sad, and the fleeing equines and expressions of horror of those who did not run didn't do any good to lift his spirits. He was surprised that the earth pony didn't take notice to him, being the brightly colored and sizeable creature. The sound of a foal crying upon spotting him from the other side of the road brought him back down again. The mother of the foal shushed her gently, her voice belying her own fear.

The princess couldn't help but sigh heavily as they reached the infirmary. Her little ponies getting used to Rhem was going to be far more difficult than she thought it was going to be.

A few inhabitants in the lobby turned their heads to the new arrivals, mildly curious as to who it was. A couple of the select few gasped - first in delight upon seeing their princess, then terror at the dragon accompanying her. Hearing the gasps, the rest of the ponies shifted their attention, only to repeat the reaction.

The general forced another tiny smile as he and the princess passed the visitors with the stallion still suspended by magic and the colts in tow.

Princess Celestia stopped at the front desk with a calm smile and gently set the stallion down on the floor. She ignored Rhem for the time being, certain he would behave himself.

"I'm here to drop off a patient," she informed the nervous receptionist. "There's been an accident. He was hit in the head with a ball, you see. I suspect a minor concussion, but he's been unconscious for the past several minutes. I fear there may be more serious damage." The tall mare emitted a short sigh. "Would you please take a look at him? His two sons are behind us. I've no idea on the whereabouts of his wife."

A brief pause.

"Don't mind my dragon companion. He's… _relatively _harmless."

The oldest colt was tempted to rebuke Princess Celestia's last statement, but figured it was best to just keep his mouth shut about the dragon. He stepped forth, his eyes meeting the princess.

"We'll take it from here, Your Majesty. Thank you very much."

The alicorn had noted the child looked like he wanted to speak, yet said nothing regarding the situation outside of showing gratitude. She understood his desire to object, which was the reason she had said **relatively** harmless.

Rhem hadn't meant to cause any harm, but she acquired the distinct feeling the general just didn't know his own strength. Accidents were just that, accidents. Regardless, it would be a long while before he would find any sort of acceptance in her country at large.

The expression of depression on her visage was obvious, but she foraged a smile at the colt.

"Very well. Take care of yourselves," she said, before nodding to Rhem and walking out without a further word.

Rhem took one last look at the brothers and their father then followed Princess Celestia back outside. Catching up to her, he lowered his head and pressed it against her shoulder as she strode alongside her.

Princess Celestia brought her muzzle to the top of the dragon's head to nuzzle him in concern and draped a wing over him.

"Don't get discouraged, General. These ponies need to build up trust in you, and building trust is like building… a city. Roam wasn't built in a day."

With the soft nuzzle combined with the comfort of the embracing wing, Rhem felt some of his depression subside. He nuzzled her back along her neck, keeping his head pressed against her soft coat.

"Hm… Where to now?"

She smiled lightly, withdrawing her wing.

"I was thinking we could fly out among the countryside. Perhaps take in a good view from the 'bove. Less ponies out there."

Rhem gazed up at the sun princess with a hopeful glint dawning in his eyes. Less ponies… The less there were, the less he would end up scaring. That aside, the countryside sounded pleasant.

"Okay."

The mare grinned and extended her wings. Galloping a few feet away, she flapped them and took to the skies, glancing down at the dragon as she arced around towards the direction of the farmlands.

Unfolding his leathery wings, Rhem leaped into the air. Already he was beginning to feel better. The sensation of soaring with the princess proved to be what he needed to combat his funk.

The princess flapped her feathery extremities to climb higher. As she did so, she kicked her legs as if she were galloping on thin air. It didn't really do her any real good, unless she were on a cloud, but it gave the impression she was strutting in the sky. Surveying the land, she picked up a few of the farmers tilling the fields, paying more attention to their work than to the sky.

Rhem watched curiously as he glided beside his friend.

"What are they doing, Princess Celestia?" he queried. Growing crops wasn't part of Draconia's culture. The only farming ever done by his race was raising their livestock.

"They're plowing fields," she answered. "Getting ready to sow their seeds in preparation for growing their crops for the next year. You see, we grow our own food here. We plant seeds, we water them, and make sure they get enough sunshine through our weather ponies so they will grow to their largest size and abundance. Almost all of the food you ate last night came from our farms."

"Oooh."

The mountain of pancakes he consumed that afternoon was only enough to moderately fill his belly. He was a large creature and he required more than that. Plus, with all of that activity in the labyrinth, he had burned a lot of calories. Now that it was drawing in to dinnertime, the mentioning of food reminded him how hungry he was.

"In fact," Princess Celestia continued. "The pancakes you had were processed from wheat that was grown in the grain fields!"

The equine's smile faltered, recalling Rhem's punishment. She certainly didn't agree with the king starving his own sentry, but at the same time she didn't want to undermine his authority. Even if he was in her own land, she wasn't sure whether or not to stick to it… or mentally spit in the tyrant's face and sneak the general a meal.

"I hope I'm not making you hungry, talking about food."

"I will be fine…"

The young dragon flew lower to get a better look at the ponies toiling in the fields.

Princess Celestia nodded, bending her wings to follow him. As she turned her eyes downward, she observed some of the ponies tilling the earth, tending to grown crops, and gathering water. Fillies and colts played with each other, as some of the adults conversed, significant others nuzzled and loved each other, with a few of the mothers calling their families in for dinner.

"I would like to learn as much as I can before going back to Draconia." The dragon paused, removing his attention from the world below and directed it to the solar monarch. "And have more fun."

"I would be more than happy to teach you as much as I can." Princess Celestia beamed with a sense of pride. "What would you like to know?"

"Where do I even start?"

All remnants of the Draconian's depression were wiped away by the sheer excitement of learning.

"Why not from the beginning? Equestria's history!" he suggested, eyes blazing almost as brightly as the sun itself.

She went quiet and her smile dropped, but only for a moment. Fluttering her wings, she directed her body towards a rolling hill in the distance. She didn't say much of anything, save for trying to drudge up her thoughts and long suppressed emotions about Equestria's darkest days.

Tailing the princess, the dragon landed gracefully upon the grassy knoll, and sat himself down upon his rump at her side. He could sense something was heavily troubling her.

"If it bothers you, you do not have to talk about it. You can always refer me to someone else who is also knowledgeable on Equestria's history."

Princess Celestia shook her head, offering a small, sad smile.

"No, no, it's all right. It would be better if I told it. Recorded history, even from our best scholars, has a way of losing information passed down from generations. I might as well relate the events from my own memory.

"As it stands…" She looked up into Rhem's eyes, while laying down on her stomach. "There is truly no substitute for personal firsthoof experience."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"A long time ago… Canterlot as you see it did not exist. Even the ponies you see here did not live in true harmony. The unicorns, the pegusi, and the earth ponies were all in single tribes of their own kind, and only interacted with each other out of sheer necessity for survival, and barely tolerated each other otherwise.

"Eventually, a strange and enigmatic blizzard over-swept the land, which lead to a nationwide famine. The leaders of the tribes came together to a summit to try and figure out a solution to the problem, but it only lead to arguing and blaming one another. Unable to come to a mutual agreement, they went their separate ways and set out to find a new land - which lead them here.

"However, when each tribe discovered Equestria, the other two had arrived at the same place as they did. They began to fight, and soon the blizzard followed them. It was the assistants of the tribe leaders that found out the blizzard was due to malevolent spirits called windigos, which created the storm by feeding off of feelings of hatred. Upon realizing this, the three tribes united as one, dispelling it. As the storm dispersed, the three tribes decided to remain as one nation to equally share the land between them… And that is how Equestria was formed."

Rhem nodded in acknowledgement.

"What happened after that?"

She opened her eyes.

"That was… years before my time. Peace did not last." She turned to Rhem. "There rose a powerful being, a draconequus by the name of Discord. He was everything his name implied - a disorganized creature made up of mismatched parts of other animals. The head of a pony, the horn of a goat, the antler of a deer, the arms of an eagle and a lion, the legs of a lizard and a goat, the wings of a bat and a pegasus, and the tail of a snake.

"Discord was as every bit as discombobulated as he looked. He delighted in disorder, pleased by pandemonium. Every day was nothing short of unadulterated bedlam. You see, Discord was a trickster in every sense of the word, capable of illusions and appearing to alter reality at whim. Fish swam through the air, birds flew in the water, cats barked, dogs meowed. Day and night may as well have been the same. All there was… was chaos."

Rhem arched a brow and his snout scrunched up as he tried to imagine such a creature with the description Princess Celestia provided.

"Strange. What became of him?"

She directed her eyes skyward.

"My sister, Luna, and I… we rose up. We couldn't stand the unrest and chaos any longer. Discord's torture over the earth ponies, pegusi, and unicorns caused us to seek out a way to put a stop to him. We combined our strengths, and working together, we used the Elements of Harmony to seal Discord in a stone prison.

"Even now, to this day he remains in the royal gardens, as a constant reminder to myself… and to my subjects everywhere of his insanity."

The Draconian's admiration for the princess only increased as the tale came to an end. It was quite inspiring to him.

"Maybe… that is what I need to do… Gain allies in Draconia and begin a revolt… It will have to be in secret though."

A smile tipped the equine's lips.

"That's what Luna and I did. We had to meet in secret, the two of us, to think of methods on how to consolidate our power and strike Discord when his guard was down. It turns out, we didn't really need to. Discord was… arrogant. Overconfident. He never used any flunkies. Never felt he needed to. Luna and I were more than a match for him.

"King Talonblaze, on the other hoof… is a different story."

"Yes. He is cautious, but he can be very arrogant, especially when it comes to the strength of his warriors." Dismissing the subject of his king, he dropped down onto his stomach. "Care to tell me about the more pleasant days in Equestria's history?"

Princess Celestia was more than happy to.

King Talonblaze awoke to an uncomfortable throbbing. Apparently, the medicine only made the swelling worse, spreading to his other nostril and plugging it halfway. Groaning, he crawled out of bed and pulled open the door to summon a nearby guard.

"Fedge the nurse dad was 'ere earlier," he ordered with a half-growl, then returned to bed.

It did not take long for the nurse that had tended to him earlier to come sauntering in, her hips lightly swaying from side to side with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"You called for me, sir? What seems to be the trouble?" she asked, coming forward to examine him.

The Draconian's rigidness tightened with a snort.

"Whad does id loog lieg?! Da swelling god worse!"

"What?" The nurse focused on his nose. "Oh, my, my, my. _Wonderful_. The medicinal juice from the garden plants didn't work… And this looks far more serious than I thought it would."

She narrowed her eyes in concentration. This was definitely going to be an issue. How was she to know that the allergy would worsen? She sighed, shaking her head. Perhaps Draconian systems were more different than equines than she had originally anticipated.

"Well! This is going to require a bit more concentrated effort." She then turned around. "I'll be right back. I just need to gather some things."

The mare threw him a smirk and a wink as she trotted towards the door.

"Don't you go anywhere, now."

"Lieg I'm really going do do dad…" he said with a roll of his eyes.

The nurse just chuckled, shaking her head as she left. She returned a short while later, carrying a small bag on her back. Instantly approaching the dragon, she narrowed her eyes at the swelling tissue.

"Right. So. What I originally did was I applied an ointment from various plants said to combat swelling," the nurse relayed, going through her bag. "Now, obviously that didn't work. Apparently, you might be allergic to some of the plants we used. Though, I've no idea."

She pulled out a syringe.

"In any case, what I have here is something that's… still experimental. Our doctors and physicians are still developing this. It's theorized that this may be used to treat life-threatening allergies… but your constitution is tougher than my kind. This _might_ be better for you… but, seeing how we haven't even _perfected_ it, and we're still in the process of seeing how it still affects ponies, I'm actually legitimately concerned about what it may cause or do for you.

"Alternatively, I can offer an ice pack, but other than that I'm at a loss for treatment. I'd have to discuss any other treatments with my boss, but this is the only thing I can think of on such short notice."

"Just gib id do me…" he sighed in a growling tone, anxious to get the swelling down. He hated looking ridiculous, especially in front of others.

The nurse appeared a little surprised, but nodded. She could understand why he wanted it - she really wasn't sure how she was going to be able to figure anything else out other wise. Dabbing a cotton swab, she rubbed it against one of his arms then held up the syringe to stick him.

The needle snapped in half like a twig upon attempting to pierce his scales. Drawing it back with a blank expression, the earth pony stared in slight bafflement.

Huffing irritably, he grasped onto the scale that had been swabbed and tore it right off. There was a burning pain that followed, but he was tough enough to endure broken bones.

"Dere… Now you gan penedrade my sgin."

This time, the nurse really _did_ look a little shocked. Sticking him again, even with the shorter needle, she injected the liquid, and removed it practically in one swift motion.

"There."

"Good. Now les see if dis does da drig. I don'd wand do walg around looging lieg dis. Id's hideous!"

The scaly beast lowered his head closer to the nurse's eye level, his muzzle tilted away as he glanced off, looking slightly pouty.

"I have an ice pack," the nurse offered. "It will at least help with the swelling, though you may have to hold it against your muzzle."

Turning his head back to her, he stretched out his neck. Their faces were much closer now, only inches apart, but the dragon king only meant to gesture to the pony to put the ice pack on his snout.

The nurse smiled, retrieving an ice pack from her bag and placing it upon his muzzle.

"There you are," she giggled. "Don't you look cute with that on your nose!"

Now this befuddled the Draconian. Eyes widening, he stared at the mare in bemusement.

"E… exguse me?"

"I said you looked cute. You know, darling, delightful, endearing. That tiny ice pack on that big snout of yours just looks kind of silly with that baffled expression of yours." She made a small snorting noise. "It's actually kind of adorable!"

King Talonblaze was uncertain how to respond to this. He had never been treated this way before…

She must want something from him, he surmised.

"Uh… Alrighd. Whad do you wand?"

"I'm sorry?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow. "I don't want anything. I was just saying you looked cute… For a dragon, anyway."

The dour expression made it clear he didn't believe her.

"No one comblimends a king lieg me unless dey wand someding, or are sugging up!"

The nurse lowered her eyes halfway, chuckling and shaking her head.

"Now what exactly would the king of the Draconians have that I, a mere pony commoner, could possibly want? Though, if I've offended my liege, I apologize - 'twas not my intention."

"I hab much a gommoner gould wand," he replied with a snort.

"Oh?" She smirked with a slightly teasing expression. "Such as… what?"

"Bower, for one ding," he said, sinking his scaly brows further.

"Bower…?" the mare repeated, before realization dawned upon her. "Oh, _power_. What use would power benefit me? I'm a nurse. My job is to _help_ others."

"Blease. Ebryone wands bower."

"… I don't," she stated softly with a frown.

Lifting his brows, he focused his full attention on the mare curiously.

"Seriously?"

She nodded.

"Ever since I was a young filly, I've always loved making ponies feel better. Whether it was nursing wounds, bruises, or sores. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than being able to care for the sick and the weak. It's… my passion. My calling in life, if you will."

"Hrmmm…"

King Talonblaze sighed, quite perplexed that she was even sharing something like this with him.

She nodded again, turning her side to him and raising her foreleg to point at her cutie mark.

"This mark here proves it. This is my cutie mark - nearly everypony has one, and it demonstrates my unique special talent - what sets me apart from everypony else. This symbol explains who I am… What I'm meant to be."

"I see…"

The large male gave a single nod as his eyes traveled to the mark on her flank… then further back to stare at her behind.

She glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile. As she noticed him staring, she narrowed her eyes and gently shook her rear.

"You like what you see?"

Growling softly, he tore his eyes away. He mentally admitted that for a pony, she was quite attractive.

"I mighd."

The nurse giggled, blushing.

"Oooh? I'm flattered, sir." She turned to him fully. "Is there anything else you need?"

Exhaling deeply, he returned his vision to the mare.

"An egsdra blanged."

"An extra blanket? Of course, my liege. I'll fetch you one right away." She gathered her things in her bag and left, returning a few minutes later with another blanket, draping it over his body. "There you are."

Shifting in position slightly to get more comfortable, he nodded once more.

"I don'd wand any oder medig bud you chegging in on me."

"Any other…?" she parroted, a little surprised. "Very well, I shall inform the doctor, and I'll be in to check on you in the morning."

"You bedder. I will be angry if you don'd redurn," he stated with a mild glare.

The nurse smiled, apparently not believing him, but nodded nevertheless.

"Well, we certainly don't want that, now do we? What sort of a nurse would I be?" Reaching up, she rubbed his chin. "You just rest that regal head of yours and get some sleep. I'll be by tomorrow morning."

The dragon's eyes went round at the physical contact, having not expected it.

"W… whad was dad aboud?"

She blushed and gazed off aimlessly.

"… Sorry. Force of habit. It's nothing, don't… don't worry about it, Your Highness." Another smile spread itself across her face and she headed off. "Have a good night."

Grunting and pressing the ice pack to his nose, the reptile rolled over so his back was facing her. Right now, he was feeling confused, a strange emotion beginning to stir within him.


	9. Someone to Lean On

_Chapter Nine: Someone to Lean On_

The Draconian general scooted closer to the solar princess until every inch of his side was pressed against hers. Leaning into her, he heaved a content sigh as he gazed over the countryside.

"You truly do have a beautiful country…"

Princess Celestia's smile was still present as her eyes followed his line of vision.

"Thank you, General. I feel the same way… Sometimes I just like to come out and look over my kingdom, watching my little ponies go about their lives.

"I envy them, sometimes. They have it easy…"

"It looks like it." Rhem peered down at a small group of colts and fillies at the bottom of the tall knoll playing with a familiar ball - soon recognizing the poppy red colt and pink filly from earlier. The little ones hadn't even noticed the alicorn and dragon perched upon the hilltop, as they were too occupied in their game, laughing and frolicking among each other. The sight certainly looked like fun. He found himself wanting to join in, but he didn't want a repeat of what happened in town. "Princess Celestia? Do you ever feel the want to join your subjects in what ever they are doing?"

"Almost all the time," she replied, a twinge of sadness permeating her voice. "I may be a princess, but I am a pony, too. There are times where I would love nothing more than to shrug off my duties for the day and spend time with my subjects. However…"

She turned to Rhem.

"None of my subjects would ever treat me like a normal pony. I get looked at and all they see is the princess, deserving only special treatment. If I play a game, my subjects will go out of their way to make sure I win… It's… actually quite tiring. I ever so rarely get a chance to relax a bit ANYWAY, and even if I do, my duties usually will come up with something urgent again." A brief pause elapsed. "Which, I will admit, is half the reason I decided to stay around you as long as I have today. I really don't want to stay in my throne room looking over parchment after parchment of tax increase this or potential law that or something regarding the upcoming budget for next year…"

The mare sighed, a small frown tugging at her lips.

"Sometimes I'd like to play a nice game of hoofball. Get sweaty and dirty. Maybe even a scrape. Give my all without having to resort to using my wings or any magic… and be proud of the game. But…" She raised her head. "My kingdom has, and always will, come first."

Rhem cast his gaze back at the children. A pair of the foals jumped each other and proceeded to wrestle each other to the grass before the rest followed suit, creating one squirming pony pile.

He observed the scene, an idea spawning in his mind before the all too familiar gleam of mischief reappeared in his eyes. Rising up onto his feet, he pounced the royal alicorn, sending them both tumbling down the hill in the opposite direction of the children.

The princess had been about to open her mouth to ask Rhem a question when she was unexpectedly tackled. What ever words she had died in her thoat.

As the dragon rolled down the grassy slope with the equine, he prepared himself for the landing. Once they reached the bottom, he pinned Princess Celestia on her back with a triumphant glimmer in his fiery yellow-orange eyes.

"Then I will treat you like everyone else… Celestia."

The princess let out a grunt and stared up at Rhem in astonishment.

"Rhem! What-" she began, her words catching. Treat her like everyone else? What did THAT mean? "What… do you mean… by that?"

It hadn't escaped her notice that he had failed to use her title, simply calling her by her name.

"It means I will not treat you like a princess. You will be just a regular pony to me," he clarified.

She blinked… before narrowing her eyes lightly and breaking into a grin.

"Well, then, Rhem. I suppose I shall do the same to you."

"I would like that…"

The tiniest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he lowered his head to nuzzle his nose against her cheek.

Princess Celestia chuckled, nuzzling back. As she did so, a playful glint sparked in her eyes. Raising her front hooves against the dragon's sides, she began to lightly tickle along his scales.

Squeaking in a very un-Draconian manner, Rhem leaped off of the mare, landing on his paws a few feet away. The dragon crouched low with his haunches raised in the air and tail swishing back and forth, expressing his own sign to play. Hoping she would chase him around like he had seen the colts and fillies do with each other, he bounced from side-to-side, encouraging her to try to catch him.

Beaming, she rolled over onto her stomach to take a leap at him - wings flaring to catch herself so she didn't crash upon landing in case she missed.

Rhem was ready. With his lightning-quick reflexes, he bounced out of the way and bounded behind her. Grasping the tip of her ethereal tail in his mouth, he gave it a playful, yet gentle, tug. As he let go, he whipped right back around her with illimitable energy.

Princess Celestia gasped softly at the yank on her tail. A hot flush raced across her face and a tingle went up her spine - though, as she turned to face him, she found he had already made his way around her and she spun back to meet him.

"You're pretty fast for somepony your size," she quipped with a smirk.

"We have to be fast," Rhem stated, running back around to give the mare's tail another tug. This time, he remained behind her, leaping back a few feet to prepare for what she would do next.

That made sense. Speed and agility were top qualities in sentries. The faster and stronger, the better. All in the name of better and more efficient machines to handle the job better - only one of the reasons why Princess Celestia detested war, but incorporated into her army's regimen on the off-chance Equestria would need her forces. After the war with the griffons, it seemed fairly evident that was indeed the case. Though, she figured the soldiers deserved the peaceful rest that had been obtained.

She gasped again, feeling another rush of heat come to her face. That felt… rather awkward, though she wasn't entirely sure why. It just made her feel a little embarrassed that her tail was being played with.

He was quick, that was for sure, and there was no way she could match him in speed…

… Unless…

She gave a smirk, glancing over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at Rhem before her horn glowed and she suddenly vanished with a flash. She almost immediately rematerialized behind the draconic being, swooping down with her mouth to grab his tail and return the favor.

Rhem's eyes went round in shock when Princess Celestia disappeared, a look of worry gracing his facial features, only to be surprised and relieved when he felt the pull on his own tail. Yanking it free, he spun around to face the mare before heading around her once more. This time, he slipped right underneath her, crouching. Poking his head through her front legs, he tilted it back to meet her eyes. Straightening his legs again, he ended up lifting the princess right off her hooves.

The mare planned on using her teleportation spell again when her companion disappeared from sight, only to feel something slide underneath her. She blinked as she stared down right into his smiling face. As the dragon stood up, she faltered as she was lifted up - laying on her stomach on his back.

With the alicorn on his back, the winged reptilian broke into a fast gallop. He raced along the wide open field with nothing ahead of him but rolling hills and the hairline that made up the border of the Everfree Forest. He ran and ran, making sure he had the equine perfectly balanced. Occasionally, he leaped into the air just for fun - especially when he reached the top of the knolls he cleared. He was in a state of happiness he had never felt before! Streaking down the countryside with Princess Celestia on his back with nothing to stop him…

He felt so free…

Princess Celestia released a cry of surprise when Rhem took off. Her eyes wide, she clamped her hooves down on his shoulders as best as she could. Laying there in shock for a good moment, the princess found herself taken completely off guard. She had never once expected she would experience something like this.

After a few minutes, and the second jump, she began laughing - even going so far as to outright cheer and whoop.

The equine's laughter was infectious and encouraging. Awkward huffs that resembled laughs rolled out of him with every leap he made. There was no hint of exhaustion in his breath - his endurance and stamina had been brutally crafted so masterfully by the instruction and guidance of his superiors. His heart soared with them, feeling as light-weighted as he did when suspended in mid-jump.

He eventually slowed to a stop, spinning his body in continuous circles, but not fast enough to send the pony on his back flying. As dizziness overpowered him, he stumbled sideways and collapsed onto the soft grassy earth with more full and mirthful laughter.

The Equestrian monarch hollered. Even as they came to a cessation, she continued giggling - feeling her stomach rise up in her body as they span. Keeping her wits about her - at least long enough to jump off of Rhem's back before he crashed onto his side - she realized she had never felt more alive than she had in the past few centuries. Peals of laughter echoing into the early evening, she laid down on her back against the dragon.

"Heh… You know, it's almost too bad you're not a pony, Rhem. I'd almost say you were a good candidate for the Element of Laughter!"

Rhem's laughter diminished as the adrenaline died down to a moderately low level. With a satisfied sigh, he glanced over at the alicorn, his face alight with bliss.

"I… never thought such fun like that… could even exist! That was incredible! And I hope that was enough to last you until next time you get the chance to have fun." He nuzzled against the princess, his rib cage heaving as he regulated his breathing. "Think… we can do it again?"

Princess Celestia's sides were hurting somewhat from all the laughter she and Rhem had shared for the past several minutes. Smiling, she nuzzled him back as she rolled over onto her belly.

"We could, I suppose. But, give me a brief moment, young Rhem."

She got to her hooves as she reached out with her magic. Closing her eyes, the mare felt the power of the sun fill her and she guided it down from the heavens to let it sink below the horizon far off into the distance. At the same time, she branched out with another tendril of magic to summon the moon, pulling it up over the opposite edge of the view, it slowly creeping skyward at the same time the sun was setting. Now with the celestial bodies on their proper course for the night, she turned back to the Draconian.

Sitting upon his haunches, the general watched in amazement as the sun sank and bathed the surrounding land in an artful display of warm colors. As the moon was brought out, everything was coated with various blues and violets and highlighted with white. Rhem's eyes flickered brilliantly and pierced the night, fiery yellow-orange orbs flashing like the sun. He took a few moments to admire the glowing ball in the sky and the stars.

"It is a beautiful night…"

The princess' eyes were wide with a sort of sad pride. While the night was indeed beauteous, she felt as if she could never match her sister's splendor in that regard.

"Luna always made her nights so much more prettier than I ever could. You could see the stars for miles upon miles." She shook her head, turning back to her companion. "But, I can honestly say I try my best."

She went silent again, looking up at the night sky.

Sensing her sadness, Rhem nuzzled Princess Celestia's cheek in an attempt to comfort her.

"Perhaps you two can reach an agreement once she returns?"

"I doubt Nightmare Moon and I will ever reach an _agreement_, Rhem. It wasn't entirely her fault she ended up the way she did. I feel there is an outside force controlling her. To do so, I need to break through to her… And I believe that only the Elements of Harmony would be able to do that."

The dragon sighed deeply, a pang of sympathy dwelling within him as he offered her another nuzzle.

"Is there… anything I can do…? You already did so much for me…"

Lifting a foreleg, he furled it around the regal pony's shoulders and held her close.

She forced a cheerless smile, nuzzling him back.

"I'll be fine. I've already lived through it for over three-hundred years. I'm sure I can push through seven-hundred more." Leaning in closer to the dragon, she shut her eyes. "You're doing more than you think, Rhem… I haven't…" The mare sniffed, tears brimming and her sorrow building. "… had a chance to really… lean on… some… pony…"

Her jaw clenched as her eyelids squeezed together tighter, tears streaming down her face, allowing herself to bring her depression forward. She wanted to hold it down, but she knew bottling her emotions was unhealthy.

To have a shoulder to cry on after going so long of crying into a pillow late at night… Just by being present, Rhem provided so much more for Princess Celestia that she did not have for centuries.

"You… can lean on me all you want… And you do not have to… hold back anything with me… If you… need to cry, you can. I will not tell anyone…" Rhem offered, his own sadness increasing. The young dragon hardly knew anything about comforting other than what Princess Celestia had shown him. Though, as he felt an unexpected impulse, he obeyed it and leaned in to lick the rivulet of tears from one of the equine's cheeks.

Princess Celestia took hi suggestion and did so - letting it all hang freely, she poured her heart out onto his shoulder. Eyes that she had sworn had long ago dried up and had no more tears to shed suddenly found themselves in a veritable deluge. Choking and sobbing, she cried for a good, long while.

"… I… I'll be alright… Thank you, Rhem…"

Rhem held her tighter in his one-armed embrace and placed his head upon the crest of her neck, the equine's billowing mane tingling the nerves beneath the scales it touched. He remained that way as she openly cried and released the emotional pain weighing upon her.

As she settled down, he removed his head from her neck. Touching his nose to her cheek, he lapped up the fresh tears. He didn't say anything. He figured his actions would do all the talking for him.

The mare chuckled a bit, finding his actions touching. Nuzzling him softly, she blinked once to clear her eyes, though her face was still tear-stained.

"Thank you, again, Rhem… For everything…. I needed this. For a long time. Too long a time."

Rhem drew his head back to smile at her, his eyes burning in the darkness like live embers. Leaning in again, he resumed licking the tears off of her face.

The mare giggled at the dragon lapping up what few tears she had. Shaking her head, she smiled.

"Do my tears taste good to you? That tickles!"

It did feel a little ticklish. She had never been licked by a sentient being before, let alone by a dragon.

"Kind of. The probably taste better than they should since I am hungry."

Her own laughter inspired the playful spark back in him. Unfurling his arm from her, he pinned her to the ground, still licking her face.

A pang of guilt hit the mare's bosom as the draconic being mentioned he was hungry. Biting her lip, she decided that maybe she should go behind King Talonblaze's back - after all, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

She was somewhat surprised when Rhem pinned her. Letting out a yelp, she followed it with laughter, and tried to move her face out of the way.

"Now, Rhem! Knock it off!"

Her tone and laughter, however, suggested that… no, she actually didn't want him to stop.

Despite his growling stomach, the dragon relented to the surge of playfulness. Noting the princess of the sun's intonation, he shook his head.

"No."

With a wicked twinkle in his eyes, he continued licking her face; running his tongue over her cheeks, nose, and the bridge of her muzzle.

Princess Celestia giggled as she twisted her face back and forth from Rhem's tongue while squirming underneath his legs. This tickled so much! He was kind of like a dog, she decided. A big, red, scaly dog. Her eyes suddenly brightened, coming to an amusing mental image. Maybe if she threw a stick, he would run off and fetch it for her. It actually made her laugh even harder.

Rhem kept this up for a few minutes before permitting the equine a break. Ceasing his licking, he began nuzzling her again, the look of bliss painted across his visage. Despite its low points, it turned out to be the best day of his life. After a few nuzzles, the dragon sighed contentedly and touched his nose to hers in an affectionate gesture. It was an entirely innocent and chaste gesture, but affectionate nonetheless.

The princess sighed, giggling again as she opened her eyes to meet his. A bit surprised from the affectionate display, she returned it with gusto. Today was a wonderful day for her - the afternoon meeting with King Talonblaze could have gone a tiny bit better, and the situation in town could have definitely been handled differently, but all in all, it could have been worse.


	10. The Manticore Attack

_Chapter Ten: The Manticore Attack_

Chuckling, Rhem rubbed his nose against Princess Celestia's and followed with a quick lick. Standing up, he removed himself from the mare, enabling her the freedom to move to get up if she desired.

"Perhaps we should go back. I bet your servants and guards are wondering where you are."

Princess Celestia smiled, rolling over and getting to her hooves.

"That sounds like a good idea. Though, I'm sure they're fine. They can last a few hours without me."

"**WHERE IS THE PRINCESS?!"** The frightened majordomo of Princess Celestia's court was practically falling apart, his mane disheveled, his starch tuxedo shirt front popping up out of his trousers, his coat wrinkled, and his monocle dangling from his breast pocket. He was shaking the guard captain, doing his best to keep himself together, with his helmet having toppled off and the rest of his armor looking like it would just fall off the rest of his body through the vibration alone. "_WE CAN'T LAST FIVE MINUTES WITHOUT HER! _Groups have yet to meet with the princess! Bills need to be signed! Today's schedule has been completely thrown off!"

He finally released the poor guard, turning and wailing off.

"Oh, this is awful! A disaster! A horrible, horrible disaster!"

The sentry captain really never got a chance to explain that Princess Celestia had been frolicking in the garden and spotted flying off towards town a few hours ago. Not envying the majordomo for his position, the stallion snorted and followed, trying to get a word in edgewise.

Rhem nodded as the situation concerning King Talonblaze's so-called need for land popped back into his head again.

"How much land did you give King Talonblaze?"

Princess Celestia bit her lip, her facial features twisting into a frown.

"Approximately four-hundred miles. I gave him the entire range of the Gaitland mountain area. We originally had at least three major towns there, though all of them were abandoned due to the war with the griffons."

Blinking, the young general rolled his eyes skyward as he began doing some mental calculations. After coming to a realization, his eyes sprang open.

"He will definitely raise a larger army with that amount of land."

The alicorn arched an eyebrow.

"I understand. I already came to an agreement with him. How can I renegotiate without reneging on my promise? What should I tell him? I don't want to go back on my word. What sort of compromise would you suggest, Rhem?"

He mulled it over before his eyes lit up with resolve.

"We wager the land on the spar match I am supposed to lose, but make the deal better. Offer more land and he will agree to it for sure."

A smile dawned upon her face. That sounded… actually quite devious! A classic "double-or-nothing" scheme. Yes, that could potentially work. If she were to offer some of the lands west of Equestria, where they had to explore firsthoof…

"Alright, we'll try that," she finalized. This would definitely be worth it. Anything to keep her ponies safe.

The winged reptilian was pleased just at the fact Princess Celestia herself seemed to like his option. He was confident that this would work, though he had learned that nothing can be one-hundred percent foolproof.

"He will lose the land you offered him and see how defenseless his prized general is against one of your unicorn guards."

The mare turned around and began to trot back towards Canterlot. She was in decidedly no hurry, mainly because she wanted to spend more time outside and away from her duties, and because she didn't see scores of pegasus guards scouring the skies for her just yet.

She felt fairly confident in the plan. Yet she still possessed a healthy nag in the back of her head to create a backup. Something about this didn't sit right with her.

The draconic being bounded ahead in a series of playful springs. As he did, he spun back around into her direction again, running around her as she trotted back to their destination.

As the two of them continued on, the alicorn glanced up to spot armed guards flying in formation away from the castle and heading towards town. The princess' smile widened. She had been wondering when a search party was going to be sent. Spreading her wings, she flapped them, and with a quick glance at Rhem, took off to take to the skies to meet them halfway.

Utilizing his wings to lift his body from the ground, the Draconian general followed. The guards ahead were difficult to make out in the darkness, but the alicorn and dragon's adjusted eyes - with the assistance of the full moon's beams - enabled them to distinguish them.

The captain of the royal guard raced up to the princess, appearing positively vexed from the encounter with the majordomo.

"Your Majesty! There you are! You had us worried… especially your majordomo."

The solar monarch gave a light giggle.

"I apologize, Captain. I didn't mean to raise an alarm. I assure you I was in good company." She flashed a smile to Rhem and followed it with a nod, before returning her attention back to the stallion before her. "Will you escort us back to the castle, Captain? I'm sure everypony will be relieved to see me back safely."

She would need to have a chat with her majordomo. He was too much of a worrier.

"Of course, Princess!"

With a salute, the captain whipped around and lead the way back to the palace with the royal equine and dragon in tow. Once they made it to the doors that lead to the throne room, he stopped and gestured for the pair to go on. He didn't want to deal with the majordomo any more than he had to.

Grateful for the guard, Princess Celestia gave him a warm smile and a brief bow to thank him for his duty, before proceeding inside. Upon doing so, the majordomo was practically on top of her.

"Princess! Oh, thank the stars you're back safely! I was so worried you were-"

"Quite safe with General Rhem, I assure you," she cut him off, glancing over at the dragon at her side. "I was with a guard the entire time, Chambers. Even if he is not one of our own."

The majordomo squeaked a bit at the dragon's presence and backed away a few steps.

"Of course, Your Majesty. I was… sure you were safe, but you see there were ponies who were hoping to meet with you today and-"

"Are they still here?"

"A few," Chambers said. "Some ever since this morning, waiting for you after your meeting with King Talonblaze."

"I see. I shall extend a personal apology to those still available. Gather them here, I'll speak to them all at once to deal with the issues forthwith. Oh, and send a quick message to King Talonblaze to meet me at his earliest convenience."

Rhem offered a nod to the princess' majordomo in a peaceful gesture. The young Draconian then looked to Princess Celestia, opening his mouth to speak when she was finished talking.

"Yes. I was her bodyguard for today. If anyone had tried to attack Celestia, I would have torn them apart… Or at least apprehended them."

Chambers seemed to be quite taken aback when the dragon spoke, his eyes widening. Shaking, obviously frightened at the beast, he blinked, before narrowing his eyes.

"That's _Princess_ Celestia," he corrected. "How dare you so callously and so casually address Her Majesty in that way!"

"Chambers, please, don't mind him. He's still a guest," said Princess Celestia with a calm smile.

"But-"

"No buts. It's quite all right. Rhem here is a friend."

"… Very well. If Her Majesty insists," he stated, though he clearly did not look happy about this. "I'll just… just go get the parties that chose to stay."

With that, he turned and all but fled out the door, wanting very much to get away from the dragon.

With a small smile, the dragon moved in, touching his shoulder to the large mare's and nuzzling her cheek right in front of the present ponies.

"I apologize for Chambers." The mare made her way to her throne to take a seat. "He can be a little jittery at times, yes, but he's a fine steward. He does good work."

It didn't take long before several groups of ponies arrived in a single file in the order they came. None of them appeared very happy with having to wait for so long.

"My subjects, I do deeply apologize for the extended delay," she admitted. "I hope you'll forgive me for not seeing you at your appointed hours, and I will move on to hearing your issues. Please, calmly, and one at a time, state the issue you have come for me today."

The first pony inched forward, his terrified eyes were upon the dragon who had settled himself beside Princess Celestia's throne. Swallowing hard, the middle-aged stallion presented himself.

"G-good e-evening, Y-Your Majesty. I-I'm Sir V-Vladimir from the v-villiage n-near the E-Everfree F-Forest a-and w-we've had a s-serious p-problem w-with a p-pack of m-manticores a-attacking our c-cattle, sh-sheep, a-and p-pigs. E-even p-ponies h-have been a-attacked. I a-arrived this m-morning h-hoping y-you would c-come u-up w-with a s-solution before t-tonight since the a-attacks have b-been h-happening a-at night."

"A pack of manticore?" the princess questioned. She had heard of the manticore living in the forest, but she had never heard of them attacking in packs. This did not bode well - the village was a fringe settlement; with a small couple of hoof-fulls of residents. If these creatures were attacking at night then…

"Horse apples," she breathed, looking out the window where the moon was visible over the edges of the Everfree Forest. She would have to work quickly. "Captain!" she called out to the pony at the door. "Gather up a squadron of some of your finest stallions. Have them dispatched to Sir Vladimir's village immediately. Be on the lookout for a pack of manticore. Subdue them if you can, terminate them if you must!"

She felt guilty. They hadn't been that far from the forest when she and Rhem were out. If she had only knew, then she would have already done something about it…

"Shall I accompany them?" the young Draconian asked as he rose up off his haunches.

Turning to Rhem as he asked his question, she issued a small smile and a nod, feeling better.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," she stated, glad he was already on top of it. She hadn't even thought of asking the dragon if he wouldn't mind providing assistance. She then turned to her captain. "Oh, Captain! You might want to bring along some additional backup, as well! I'm sending General Rhem with you."

She smiled at the equine.

"Worry not. The problem will be taken care of posthaste."

With that, she turned to the next pony in line for the next problem to be addressed.

The equine nodded and threw himself at Princess Celestia's feet with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Oh, thank you, Princess! Thank you!" he thanked her graciously, the stammer exiting his voice.

Rhem turned to Princess Celestia with a powerful gaze that made it apparent that he was going to do everything he could to protect the ponies under attack.

"We will not let you down."

The princess smiled warmly with a nod directed at him. This might be the chance Rhem was waiting for, she realized. If he went out and protected the ponies from an attack, then instead of being seen as a monster, he could probably be seen as a hero! Either that, or the equines would just think of him as an even bigger threat…

… Well, hopefully the royal guard aside him, the citizens would think the former.

"I know you won't, Rhem. Godspeed."

The dragon didn't know what "Godspeed" meant, but that wasn't relevant at this point. Right now, he had some ponies to protect! With a single nod, he signaled non-verbally to the captain that he was ready to go. Racing out of the castle, he was lead away into the night.

The large mare watched them leave, stretching out her wings and folding them back up again. Turning back to the group at large, she shifted her focus on seeing what was next on the agenda.

The next pony came forth, she, along with the rest of the equines, were settling down now that the dragon was gone. The bright green and regally dressed pegasus cleared her throat before opening her mouth to speak.

"I… didn't know you had a pet dragon, Your Highness."

Princess Celestia chuckled, shaking her head.

"Rhem is not a pet, my dear. He's the general from-" She hesitated to explicitly say Draconia. "-a far off land. He is here with his king as my guests… Though King Talonblaze is currently elsewhere. Now, what can I do for you, my little pony?"

The royal guard and dragon swooped down and landed at the borderline between the village and the Everfree Forest. There were a couple of freshly killed bodies of ponies laying with open lacerations. Apparently, they had arrived too late…

Rhem rushed over to one of the corpses, the scent of blood and death wafting in the air. The Draconian also caught the smell of another creature… There was something about the scent that told him the animal wasn't friendly. It must be what they were looking for…

Suddenly, a faint snarling snagged his attention. There, in the trees, were several sets of eyes piercing the inky blackness. Rhem snarled back, readying himself for a fight.

Screams of horror could be distinguished from some distance off, and a couple of the guards broke off from the main group to investigate and secure the village. In addition to the chaos caused by the feline terrors, several indirect counts of mayhem were occurring at the same time. A sunshine yellow mare with a black mane and tail could be seen galloping through the square, with hundreds of similarly colored, winged insects crawling all over her sticky golden syrupy body.

"**I'M COVERED IN BEEEEEEEES!" **she wailed.

Rhem's full attention was on the scorpion-tailed felines who were now growing bold enough to emerge from the shelter of the trees. Soon, an entire pack the large beasts were present. He didn't count them all, but there were more than fifteen. The largest one stalked forth, appearing more menacing than the rest. This one was obviously the alpha.

The young Draconian automatically went into his general persona, temporarily forgetting this was someone else's army, and that they already had a commander. Keeping his cautious eyes on the pack, he addressed the royal guard in a commanding tone.

"Create a single file line and block the path to the village!"

The captain didn't appreciate his company being ordered, and had turned to Rhem to give him a piece of his mind when he saw exactly how many of the beasts there were. Remembering this dragon's rank as a _general_, the sentry was willing to let this particular instance slide - for the time being.

"Well?!" he shouted to the others, who had hesitated. "You heard him! Get your flanks in gear, soldiers! We've got a village to defend!"

"Keep your heads low to protect your throats! Aim for the eyes, throat, and open mouths, and do not let your guard down on the jaws, claws, and tail! Attack then jump away to avoid a counterattack!" he added, sprinting forward to meet the alpha - who charged, too.

A number of the guards were surprised to hear this, but with a nod of confirmation from their captain, rushed their enemy. Spears in mouths, they lowered their heads, proceeding to imitate their scaly ally.

However, a single pony couldn't possibly hope to flip the creatures over - instead, the pegusi guards teamed up to utilize their weapons to attack - a few of them going right for the throats with a couple of them acting as a distraction, others, going in for the assault.

Swift on his feet, the dragon slipped underneath the leader before it could snap its teeth at him. The reptile parted his jaws and slashed at the soft belly, slicing it right open. Blood and entrails dropping on top of him, he applied his strength to flip the beast right over before whirling around and springing at the jugular. The inflicted manticore's energy quickly depleted as blood sprayed from its torn throat, making it far easier to finish off.

Rhem leaped away to allow the manticore to bleed to death and shook the entrails from his back. He then zipped from manticore to manticore, slashing open throats as he passed - even as ponies were fighting them. He was determined to finish the fight before anyone got hurt.

Thanks to Rhem's assistance, the battle went much easier. As an almost fully grown dragon, he was more than capable of being a match for a manticore… but it took no less than four pegusi guards to bring down one of them.

One of the sentries, however, had a fairly novel idea. Positioning himself by an unused clothesline tied between two houses, he utilized it to launch his spear to shoot one of the manticores just below one a knee joint. From there, he snagged the clothesline and flew in tight circles around the creature, tying its legs together and causing it to crash to the ground on its side. This merely incapacitated it, and took another couple of ponies to actually slay it.

Rhem was satisfied with the outcome of the bout. Never, had he seen teamwork used in battle. Draconian soldiers were trained to fight for themselves, for their own survival, so this was a change of pace.

The last of the standing manticore fell over, energy drained from blood loss like the rest of its packmates. The dragon panted lightly, his body coated heavily with blood. Taking a look around, he released a relieved sigh. None of the royal guard had sustained any injuries.

"HOO-HA!" the stallions cried, lifting their hooves and spears at a successful aversion of catastrophe. Well, about as successful as could reasonably be expected, at any rate.

The captain hovered up to Rhem, removing his helmet and giving a light bow.

"I must say, General Rhem… Thank you, for your assistance. I… I'm not sure how well we could have done this without you."

The Draconian offered a nod in return. He was pleased he was receiving gratitude for his work, never having gotten this sort of treatment back at home.

"Hm," he grunted softly in acknowledgement. "You and the others did not do badly."

The captain nodded, feeling an odd camaraderie with the dragon. While he was grateful his own forces weren't harmed… he swallowed hard as he turned into the direction of the village. What of them, he wondered. There were a few that, unfortunately, they couldn't save in time.

The pony covered in bees ran by again, sobbing in sheer, unadulterated horror.

"We'll gather the dead civilians here," he said, more to his own soldiers than to Rhem. "And see to the wounded, if any." He turned back to the dragon, unsure of what he could do. "We can take things from here, General Rhem."

"Do keep your eyes pealed for any more of those beasts that might be lurking. If more show up, let me know."

With another nod, Rhem unfurled his wings and took to the skies en route to the castle.


	11. We Found a Witch!

_Chapter Eleven: We Found a Witch!_

Having come to a resolution with their issue, the second group of ponies bowed to their princess and departed, so that the third may present their predicament. An earth pony mare - with her pasterns bound in shackles, a black, lightly tattered cloak, a similar-colored pointed hat sitting atop of a dirty purple bed of mane, and a prominent wart sitting between her nostrils - was pulled forth by the group leader, a spark of excited keenness in his eyes.

"We found a witch! May we burn her?" the unicorn requested.

"She turned me into a newt!" another stallion proclaimed… who was obviously not the mentioned amphibian.

Absolutely flabbergasted, Princess Celestia's eyes sprang open and her eyebrows arched up.

"A _newt_?" she repeated in disbelief.

There was an awkward pause before the stallion spoke again.

"… I got better…"

"BURN HER ANYWAY!" voices from the crowd rose up.

"I'm not! I'm not a witch!" the mare protested.

"… But you are dressed up as one," said Princess Celestia, cocking a brow.

"_They_ dressed me up like this," she cried, exasperated.

"We didn't!" the small gaggle declared. "We didn't-"

"And this isn't my mane!" the mare interrupted. "This is a false one!"

The alicorn's horn illuminated, and indeed, the pointed hat and wig lifted off her head, revealing a different, more natural texture underneath. Furrowing her eyebrows, the princess gave a soft glare at the crowd to dare them to explain themselves.

"Well?"

"… Well, we did do the mane," one admitted.

"And another," chimed another. "But she's a witch!"

"Yeah! Burn her! Burn her!" they began chanting in earnest.

Princess Celestia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Did you dress her up like this?"

"No!" the crowd replied, each taking their turn. "No, no! No! No!"

A brief pause elapsed.

"… Yes."

Another passed.

"Yeah, a bit. A bit."

"But she has a wart!" one interjected.

The royal mare closed her eyes, slapping a hoof to her face.

"So, Your Highness, may we burn her?" asked the leader of the current group. He, along with his fellowship, leaned forward in anticipation for the regal equine's answer.

Princess Celestia sighed lightly. This was getting ridiculous.

"Come now," she began. "This is silly. You take a pony without actually confirming her to be a witch and demand to execute her. There are ways of telling whether she is a witch or not."

"There are?" one of the ponies queried.

"Do they hurt?" a second questioned, but he was ignored entirely.

"Tell me, what do you do with witches?"

"You burn them!" the first stallion responded.

"What do you burn, apart from witches?" Princess Celestia inquired.

"MORE witches!" another pony cried out.

"Wood," one of the others said.

"Very good!" A smile spread across Princess Celestia's lips. "Now, why do witches burn?"

"Because… they're made of wood?" an equine answered tentatively.

"Precisely! How can you tell if she's made of wood?"

"Build a bridge out of her!" the first stallion called out.

"Ah, but can you also not build bridges made of stone?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"Does wood sink in water?" the tall mare inquired.

There was murmuring being shared among the crowd for a few moments.

"… No, no, it floats," one of them started, the rest following. "It floats! Throw her into the pond!"

"Wait a moment." The princess lifted a hoof to gesture for her little ponies to stay put. "What _else_ floats in water?"

"Bread!" answered a stallion.

"Apples!" said a mare.

"Very small rocks!"

"Cider!"

"Great gravy!"

"Cherries!"

"Mud!"

"Churches - churches!"

"Lead - lead!"

"A duck," came the voice of Chambers with a roll of his eyes.

"Exactly!" The princess beamed. "So, logically…"

If she weighs the same as a duck…" the lead stallion ventured. "… then she's made of wood."

"And therefore…" Princess Celestia prompted.

"_A WITCH_!" the now enthused crowd shouted.

Princess Celestia nodded over to Chambers, ordering for him to bring out the large scales. Within moments, a set of scales… and a white duck were wheeled in. The accountants, who had arrived earlier amidst the confusion, looked up from their ledgers in bafflement as Chambers levitated the duck onto one end of the scales. The accused witch was urged to climb onto the bare end and she and the duck were promptly weighted. Much to the dismay of the group, the mare's end of the scale went straight down, outweighing the waterfowl.

Of course, Princess Celestia had known this would happen all along - and had decided to play along and humor her little ponies mainly for the sake of seeing this through rather than causing an outright riot. Now that the situation had been definitely proved, she turned to the crowd with a significant loss of humor.

"You see there? The duck is clearly outclassed by her. Now get her out of those chains and that ridiculous costume, and bother me not with this nonsense again!"

It had taken a significant amount of self-control to prevent the leader of the previously restless group from wetting himself. They gazed up at the princess, bodies trembling and prostrating in appeasement. Nodding in unison, two unicorns released the earth pony from her binds, and bolted towards the throne room's exit in time to see Rhem covered in blood.

Eyes wide with horror at the side, they released blood-curdling screams - some of the ponies in the room fainted. Rhem only stared back at them, blinking.

Princess Celestia, about to ask for the next group of ponies to present their matter, ears perked and snapped her head to the doorframe, spotting the dragon. Immediately getting to her hooves, her jaw dropped at the view of his blood-splattered body.

"What happened?" she asked, concern etched on her visage. "Stars above, are you hurt? Is the village safe? Somepony get a doctor in here!"

"I am fine, Celestia! It is manticore blood," Rhem hurriedly reassured the princess of the sun. His small smile then faltered as his mind shifted to the ponies that had fallen victim to the manticore before he and the royal guard showed up. "We… did arrive too late. There were a few dead when we got there, but… no more were hurt."

She relaxed visibly upon hearing he was not injured and the blood was not his. Heaving a sigh, she gave him a small smile, though her stomach clenched knowing three ponies were dead.

"Good. I'm glad you were able to save the village and prevent any further casualties. Did you see how many were there? … Or should I wait to conference with the captain? I see you came back alone, so I can only assume they've got the village secured…"

"There were over fifteen manticore," Rhem replied as he eyed the dark red blood that tainted his body.

"Your warriors did well for non-Draconians," he added, gazing back at the mare.

The Equestrian princes felt a twinge of pride at that - though she felt that the captain would have probably taken the praise a little better.

"Well, they've got to. They're our best forces Equestria has to offer. Though, really, it's them you should be telling that to, not I. I don't train my guards. They've done a fine job of doing that themselves."

A small lapse passed, realizing the dragon was still _blood soaked_.

"Ahhh… Rhem, not meaning to be rude, but perhaps… would you mind… washing up?"

Her nostrils twitched. The stench of death was just now beginning to slightly discomfort her, and Heaven only knew how the rest of the nobles amassed were taking it.

"Oh, okay… Um, where do I wash up?"

"Down the hall, forth hallway to your left, second door on the right. That's the closest bathroom, at least for somepony that would be relatively comfortable for your size."

Smiling, she took another seat on her throne.

The young Draconian bounded right up to the princess and touched his blood-free nose to hers in an affectionate and thankful gesture, then dashed off.

The guards, attendants, and visitors alike hung their mouths wide open at what the general had just done. Never, had they seen - or even heard - of anyone doing something like that to the princess of Equestria.

Even Princess Celestia appeared somewhat shocked, a pink blush tinting her cheeks. Although while she wasn't embarrassed at Rhem's overtly public display of affection, she WAS surprised he had done it while still covered in blood.

"O… kay then…" She shook her head, and directed her attention back at the ponies lined before her. "… Moving right along here…"

Rhem took the time to marvel at the ornate bathroom, very impressed with the artistic décor. When he first espied his reflection in the mirror, he jumped in the air several feet, never having seen a mirror before. At first, he thought it was some sort of magic trick, but on further observation, he realized it was nothing more than reflective glass.

After inspecting every drawer, cabinet and its inventory, and peeked into the toilet - quickly regretting the last one - , he hopped into the bathtub. Spotting the pump and faucet, he brought his paws up to fiddle with them curiously. He had never used a pump - or even a tub, used to bathing mostly in collections of water that held enough to soak in.

By the time he figured almost everything out - how to use the pump and what soap was used for, and that it wasn't edible - and returned to the throne room still, the equines were wrapping up a discussion on a food crisis. The mentioning of food reminded his beyond empty belly to snarl and churn in complaint, creating a series of painful cramps. The dragon placed a clawed hand upon the scales covering his abdomen.

As Princess Celestia was dismissing the others, she sat back and turned to Rhem with a small smile. A frown pulled at her lips as she overheard his grumbling stomach and came to a decision.

"You know," she started. "While I'm respectful of other nations and their customs, I simply cannot stand back while this goes on."

She got up and descended down the steps.

"Come, let's get you a _little_ snack or something."

His entire demeanor brightened up at the thought of finally receiving some nourishment to becalm his roaring belly. Judging by the pony's intonation when she said "little", he came to the conclusion he would be given plenty to eat.

"I will eat what ever your chefs make. They do not even have to kill anything."

"I had the feeling that you might be more willing to eat something more… herbivorous during your stay here. I think I'll order sandwiches for you. Besides, King Talonblaze doesn't need to know."

"I do not know what sandwiches are, but I would like to try them."

With a new burst of energy spurred by the promise of food, he whirled around and sprinted into the hallway behind him.

"I'll be more than-" the alicorn began, only to cut herself off as Rhem ran off. Laughing lightly, her smile drooped into a frown at the revelation as to how hungry he must be. Forcing her smile back into its original state, she calmly trotted after him.

Rhem halted in the middle of the hall on their route to the dining room in order to wait for Princess Celestia to catch up. Swishing his tail left and right and crouching into a playful pose as she approached, he leaped to the side and made another dash several more yards away and repeated the gesture.

Princess Celestia smirked, unable to figure out if Rhem was just playing or if his hunger was just making him delirious. She decided it was likely safe to assume the former. Her slow gait sped up into a faster one, though she didn't break out into a full gallop.

Rhem smiled seeing he got a reaction from the princess and lunged at her. Right before he could crash into her, he arced around her and put on the breaks as he nabbed her tail as he had done in the garden. After one more gentle yank - causing a couple of watchful guards to snap their eyes wide open - , he let it go and darted in front of her again to perform another playful crouch, his tail swishing in excitement.

Raising her tail up, the mare grunted and narrowed her eyes with a lighthearted glint.

"Oh-ho. So you want to play again, do you…?" she said, leaping at him in an attempt to tackle him to the floor.

Scrunching the bridge of his nose in amusement, the swift-footed dragon sprang aback and out of the mare's reach. As Princess Celestia missed him, he lurched forward to position himself right in front of her. Half-rearing, he wrapped his forelegs around her neck and gently closed his teeth onto her delicate ear with a friendly growl.

By that time, the sentries were growing quite nervous observing the Draconian's fangs on their princess and his talons lightly poking into her soft fur. They were expecting him to turn vicious at any moment.

The nibbling felt rather good, and somewhat sleep, but the alicorn wasn't quite done. Throwing her hooves around him, she leaned off to one side to try and roll-toss him and pin him underneath her body.

Rhem hadn't been expected her next move. As he was lifted off the floor, he parted his jaws to let out a short, surprised yip. He landed upon his back with a 'thud', the pony's hooves pressing into his chest. He gazed up at her with amazement dawning in his eyes.

"Wow… You are quite strong for a pony," he stated. The reptilian wasn't going to relinquish himself yet. Mind trailing back to the tickling he had received back in the garden, a devious smirk spread across his face as his claws reached for her ribs to unleash his own tickle attack.

"Earth pony magic. Makes us strong as - ACK!" the prismatic-maned alicorn squealed, flinching and twisting away from him. "Hahahaha! Hey, no fair!"

"No fair? I suppose the tickling you gave me earlier was not fair?" Rhem chuckled. Grasping onto one of her forelegs with one hand, still tickling her with the other, he rolled them over and pinned her. "Now who is the one on top?"

Princess Celestia giggled, shaking her head.

"Oh - Hashanah! Alright, alright! Turnabout - ahahaha! - is fair play!" she howled, trying to reach up to tickle him back.

Placing his hind feet at both of her sides, he stood up and grasped her opposite foreleg, turning her onto her side to pin both of her front legs.

"What are you going to do now?"

Princess Celestia said nothing, looking up at him before gazing over at her guards standing attention.

"I _could_ called my guards," she said, in an off-hoof manner - however, a quick wink to them said she had everything all under control. A quick scan the area and she noticed that one of her maids had carelessly left a feather duster laying on one of the plant tables behind the general. While she normally would have lightly admonished such sloppiness from her staff, she was actually thankful.

Her horn glowed as she levitated the feather duster, hovering it towards Rhem to tease his flank with a couple of titillating sweeps before raising it up and out of sight.

The nerves in his flank tingled at the touch of the feather duster. Slightly startled, he turned his head to look at what had tickled him. He blinked in bemusement, seeing nothing or no one behind him. At that, he returned his attention back to Princess Celestia.

"Where were we? Oh, right - here!"

The dragon smirked deviously and resumed tickling her.

The mare laughed as she lowered the feather duster again, and she was able to brush it along his spine - however, his tickling led to her losing her concentration, and it fell from her magical hold and onto his back, bouncing off to one side and clattering to the floor as she lost herself in her laughter.

Leathery wings reflexively unfolding as the feather duster coasted up his spine with shivers and ear frills perking at the clattering of the wooden handle hitting the marble floor, Rhem yet again stopped to investigate the noise. Eyes absorbing the object, he then tossed a knowing grin at the giggling equine.

"You sneak."

Giving up on tickling, he went for her ear again.

Princess Celestia chortled, bringing up a hoof to stroke his chin and down the side of his neck.

"Heh. I tried to distract you long enough, but I couldn't hold my concentration." She giggled. "Couldn't get it to where I could get a long enough opening…

"So. Now that you've taken me prisoner, what are you going to do to me?"

She smirked, glancing over at her guards.

The guards watched suspiciously with narrowed eyes. They didn't trust him. He was a dragon. It didn't matter if he was acting friendly now. Deep down, his kind were killers.

"What am I going to do? Why should I just tell you?" he asked with a tilt of his head upon releasing her ear. Lowering his head, he began to continuously lick her cheek.


End file.
